USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of the leading citizens of Hampshire County, Massachusetts > Part 53
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On Christmas Day, 1881, Mr. Guilford was united in marriage with Mary E. Prouty, of whose companionship he was deprived in a few short years, her death occurring in March, 1889, at the age of twenty-six years. She left one son, Walter R., now a fine boy of eleven years. On May 12, 1891, Mr. Guil- ford married Miss Susie Flagg, daughter of Mrs. Ellen (Donaldson) Flagg. Mrs. Guil- ford's mother, who, when quite young, was left a widow with two daughters, died in the winter of 1894, in the sixtieth year of her age. Prior to her marriage Mrs. Guilford was a popular and efficient saleswoman in McCullum's dry- goods store. In politics Mr. Guilford is guided by his own judgment, voting indepen- dent of party lines. He is connected with several fraternal organizations, being a Knight Templar, a charter member of the tribe of Red Men, and belonging to the Knights of Honor. His home at 31 Union Street he bought in 1887, and herc he and his estimable wife entertain their numerous friends with a gener- ous hospitality.
AFAYETTE WASHINGTON GOOD -- ELL, of Belchertown, Mass., a
widely known horticulturist resid- ing at Pansy Park, near Dwight, was born in this town, October 31, 1851. His immediate
ancestors were also natives of Belchertown, the birth of his father, Asahel Goodell, hav- ing occurred here on November 22, 1810. His remote ancestors on the paternal side arc said to have belonged to a tribe of Celts living in the north of France, the tribal name being Goidel or Godelc.
About 1560 a family of Godeles, who were Huguenots, emigrated to England, where the name became Anglicized to Goodell. From this family sprung Robert Goodell (born in 1604, died in 1692), who emigrated to Amer- ica in 1634, settling in Salem, Mass. One of his great-grandsons, John, born in 1703, went to Pomfret, Conn., where he raised a family of nine children. Nathaniel, son of John and great-grandfather of Lafayette W., settled in Woodstock, Conn., but in 1777 purchased from his brother Lemuel a tract of one hun- dred acres of wild land situated in the north- ern part of Belchertown, now known as Dwight, to which he moved with his family in August of that year. He cleared and im- proved a farm, upon which he resided until his death in 1814. He raised a family of six children : Serrill, Esther, Nathaniel, Lucy, Alpheus, and Moses.
Mr. Goodell's grandfather, Moses Goodell, succeeded to the possession of the homestead, which was his residence until his decease, in 1854, at the age of seventy-seven years. His wife, whom he married on September 5, 1799, was Susannah Pettingill, of Methuen, Mass., and ten of her twelve children grew to matu- rity; namely, Ira Chaffee, Noble Thomas Ware, Marcus Lyon, Elizabeth Pettingill, Asahel, Esther Bliss, Dudley Nathaniel, Lovicy, Lusanna, and Newton Franklin Washington.
Asahel Goodell was educated in the common schools, and succeeded to the possession of the farm at the decease of his father. In carly
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manhood he engaged in introducing a process for renovating clothing, of which he made a successful business for nearly thirty years, travelling throughout the Eastern States, be- coming well known as the "New England clothes dresser." In 1833 he purchased a tract of land near the homestead, upon which he erected a dwelling-house. October 1, 1834, he was married to Cynthia Tilson Newell, daughter of Benjamin and Charlotte (Will- iams) Newell, of Pelham, Mass., her mother being a descendant of the famous Roger Will- iams. Five of their eight children lived to reach maturity, namely : Ellen Hemans, who is the subject of a special sketch in this vol- ume; Jerome Homer; Celeste Martineau ; Wesley Melancthon ; and Lafayette Washing- ton. Asahel Goodell was one of the three original antislavery men in his native town, and was prominently identified with political and other public affairs. He served as a Jus- tice of the Peace and also acted as correspond- ent for various newspapers.
Lafayette W. Goodell received a good com- mon-school education, and several years before attaining his majority was entrusted with the management of the farm, which for twenty years prior to that time had been leased to tenants and was badly run down. In 1876 he rented some land on the place, and on a capital of twenty-five dollars engaged in the retail seed business, of which he has made a marked success. From less than two hundred cus- tomers the first year, the number has increased to over sixty thousand. He erected new build- ings and made many other improvements, transforming what was one of the most un- sightly places in town into one of the most attractive. In 1885 he purchased two adjoin- ing estates, on which he built in 1891 two large greenhouses, and added a plant depart- ment to the business. The seeds and plants,
which are sold through the agency of annual catalogues, are distributed by mail and express to all parts of the country ; in fact, his books contain the names of customers in almost every country on the globe.
In 1891 he purchased the old farm and the homestead, and now owns some three hundred acres, much of which is woodland. The im- proved portion, known as Pansy Park, is de- lightfully situated and beautifully laid out. During the summer season the grounds are covered with thousands of varieties of flowers and plants, making a gorgeous display. Many of these are grown for their seeds, among others large quantities of pansies, which thrive luxuriantly and afford an appro- priate name for the estate. A notable and at- tractive feature is the aquatic garden, covering several acres and containing one of the largest collections of water-growing plants in the United States, including several varieties of the sacred Egyptian lotus and about forty va- rieties of water lilies of various colors from all parts of the world. In the summer of 1890 Mr. Goodell succeeded in flowering in the open air, without artificial heat, the famous Victoria regia from the river Amazon, the largest water lily known, the leaves of which measure from four to six feet in diameter -- the first time this was ever accomplished in the northern States. He has made a special study of this branch of floriculture; and the benefit of his knowledge will soon be given to the public in an illustrated book, now in prepara- tion, entitled "Aquatic Plants and their Cult- ure," which is destined to be a standard work upon the subject.
Mr. Goodell has been for twenty years a fre- quent contributor to horticultural papers, and is a recognized authority on matters relating to this branch of industry, in which by his energy and perseverance he has gained an enviable
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reputation. The result of his studies and dis- coveries in entomology, of which he is an enthusiastic student, have been published in magazines, proceedings of scientific societies, and United States government publications. Mr. Goodell is an exceedingly courteous gentleman to meet. He is a Republican in politics.
ON. DANIEL BATES GILLETT, whose portrait is herewith presented, is a retired business man of Enfield, Mass., and ex-member of the State Senate. He was born in South Hadley, July 21, 1819, son of Daniel and Edith (Bates) Gillett. Mr. Gillett is a descendant of Cornelius Gillett, who emigrated from England to Dorchester, Mass., in 1635, and in 1636 settled in Wind- sor, Conn., where he passed the remainder of his life. He married Priscilla Kelsey, and raised a family of nine children. Daniel Gil- lett, Mr. Gillett's grandfather, a prosperous farmer of Windsor, was a soldier of the Revo- lutionary War; and at the close of that strug- gle he resumed farming in Windsor, where he died at the age of eighty-nine years. On November 2, 1769, he married Amy Palmer, and became the father of five children, his namesake, Daniel, Mr. Gillett's father, being the eldest son. His second wife, whom he married February 15, 1789, was Alithina Gratia Rowland.
Daniel Gillett, son of Daniel and Amy (Palmer) Gillett, was born in Windsor, Conn., September 25, 1781. He was engaged in mercantile pursuits during the greater part of his active life, and was conducting trade in Granville, Mass., in 1812. He subsequently moved to South Hadley Falls, where he en- tered into partnership with Ariel Cooley ; and the firm of Gillett & Cooley was the leading mercantile concern in that town for many
years. They ran a line of boats to Hartford, which proved a profitable investment; and they also owned and conducted a flax-seed oil- mill. The firm continued until the death of Mr. Cooley, after which the enterprise was carried on alone by Mr. Daniel Gillett until his death, which occurred January 15, 1824. He was a stanch patriot, an able business man, and a useful citizen. His wife, Edith Bates, whom he married November 20, 1806, was born in Granville, Mass., May 1, 1781, daughter of Colonel Jacob Bates, and sister of the Hon. Isaac C. Bates, of Northampton. Colonel Bates served seven years in the Revolutionary War, and was with Washington at the memo- rable crossing of the Delaware in the winter of 1776. Mrs. Edith Bates Gillett became the mother of seven children, two of whom are now living, namely: Edward, who resides in Westfield, Mass. ; and Daniel Bates, the sub- ject of this sketch, who is the youngest. The deceased were: Catherine; Elizabeth ; Mary Ann; Daniel, first; and Edith. The mother died August 5, 1853.
Daniel Bates Gillett grew to manhood in South Hadley, and received his education in the. Woodbridge School and at the Hopkins Academy in Hadley. After completing his studies he went to Hartford, Conn., and se- cured a position in the store of Daniel Buck & Co., with whom he remained for two years. He then went to Amherst, Mass., where he was engaged as a clerk in the store of Sweetzer & Cutler for two years, at the expiration of which time he formed a partnership with a Mr. Ingraham and engaged in business in South Hadley Falls. This firm carried on trade suc- cessfully for three years, a greater part of which time Mr. Gillett served as Postmaster. In 1846 he moved to Enfield, where, in com- pany with Woods Brothers, he engaged in the woollen manufacture, conducting a large and
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profitable business for more than forty years, making a specialty of producing cotton warp goods, which were extensively sold throughout the country. The business averaged one hun- dred thousand dollars per year, and employed a force of fifty skilful workmen. In 1890 Mr. Gil- lett practically retired from active pursuits, but is still financially interested with J. W. Flint in conducting a large lumber business, and is still owner personally of the village grist-mill.
On May 6, 1845, Daniel B. Gillett was united in marriage to Charlotte Woods, daugh- ter of Leonard Woods, of Enfield. Mrs. Char- lotte W. Gillett died August 20, 1856, leaving two children, as follows: Daniel Bates, Jr., who was born May 5, 1846, and is now an expert mining engineer on the Pacific Coast; and Rufus W., born August 18, 1849, who is now a physician in Danville, Ill. Daniel B. Gillett, Jr., married Anna S. Carr, and has two children, namely: Charlotte E. W., born December 5, 1868; and Bur- roughs E. C., born in April, 1870. Rufus W. Gillett married Alice Wilkinson and has two children : Daniel W., born October 28, 1882; and Rufus W., Jr., born July 11, 1892. On September 25, 1858, Mr. Daniel B. Gil- lett married for his second wife Persis L. Winslow, sister of Dr. J. W. Winslow, of Easthampton. She died March 20, 1880.
Mr. Gillett is one of the oldest residents of Enfield. He has been an active and energetic business man, and is now enjoying a well- earned retirement. His homestead, which consists of twenty-five acres, is delightfully situated upon an elevation of one hundred feet above Swift River at the foot of Mount Quab- bin, and is surrounded by the beautiful moun- tain scenery of Western Massachusetts. The valley is supposed to have been a favorite hunt- ing-ground of the Indians, and many relics are found there. Mr. Gillett has in his possession
a large number of these, and he also has sev- eral letters written by his grandfather during the Revolutionary War. He is an exceedingly pleasant gentleman to meet and a general fa- vorite with his fellow-townsmen. He has been a member of the Congregational church since early manhood. He was formerly a Whig in politics, but later joined the Republican party, and served as a Selectman and in other town offices for several years, one of which he was Postmaster. He was County Commissioner for two years, and in 1865 and 1866 he was a member of the State Senate from the district which included Hampshire and Franklin Coun- ties. He is a member of Bethel Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Enfield, and also High Priest in King Solomon Royal Arch Chapter, now re- moved to Warren, Mass.
AMES GRANGER, one of the oldest and best known of the many enterpris- ing agriculturists of Middlefield, Hamp- shire County, Mass., was born in Sidney, Del- aware County, N. Y., on November 3, 1822.
His father, Henry Granger, was a native of Connecticut. He removed in middle life to the State of New York, where he spent his last years, engaging in the vocation of a farmer, which he followed with good results. He married Miss Sophia Greisley, who was also born in Connecticut, and their union was blessed by the birth of ten children, seven sons and three daughters; namely, Henry (de- ceased), Edward, Maria, James, Norman (de- ceased), Daniel, Reuben (deceased), Eliza, Dennis, and Clara. Their parents were not in affluent circumstances, and therefore the chil- dern received but meagre educational advan- tages, though a part were self-educated. The father was a Whig. He died April 6, 1836, and his wife in 1875.
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James Granger, who was only about fourteen years of age when his father died, was put out during the remainder of his minority with Ezra Smith, a farmer, with whom he came to Middlefield, Mass., in 1842. After being employed for about six years in working out by the month in different places he purchased the farm on which he now resides. It contains one hundred acres of pasturage and of tillable land, which is kept in a good state of cultiva- tion and yields profitable returns. He also engages to a moderate extent in stock growing.
Mr. Granger was married in the fall of 1846 to Miss Lucy Damon, a daughter of John and Armena (Combs) Damon, the former of whom was a native of Middlefield, Mass., and the latter of the town of Chester. Eight children came to brighten their home, as follows: Francis Henry, who married Miss Rebecca Smart, and now resides in Chester, Mass. ; Mary Jane, living in Huntington, Mass. ; Ed- ward and Edwin, who are twins, the latter of whom married Miss Ellen Dye and resides at Unadilla Forks, N. Y., and the former married Miss Ellen Spooner and settled in Barre, Mass. ; Almon, who lived only to the age of nineteen years; Lucy Maria, who died at seventeen years of age; James Edson, who died in his fifteenth year; and George, when but ten years of age. They were all educated in the common schools. Their mother, who was a highly intelligent woman, died on No- vember 6, 1861.
On December 13, 1867, Mr. Granger formed a second marriage with Mrs. Nancy A. Alvord, a woman of superior worth, born June 15, 1828, in West Springfield, Mass. Mr. Granger is a stanch Republican and has always been a faithful supporter of that party. He has served as Road Commissioner for several years, and he and his wife are communicants of the Baptist church.
NSEL WRIGHT, a native resident of Northampton, Mass., and Deputy Sheriff of Hampshire County, was born on November 29, 1832. He is a descend- ant of one of the earliest settlers of the town, Samuel Wright, who came from England in 1654, and located on land now included in Bridge Street.
Asahel Wright, the paternal grandfather of Ansel Wright, was a lifelong resident of Northampton, dying at a ripe old age in 1833. He was a well-known citizen and a veteran of the Revolution, having served bravely in va- rious battles. His wife, Rachel Searle, of Southampton, died in 1831. Three children were born to them, namely : one son, who died when nine years of age ; a daughter Anna; and a son, Ansel, Sr. Anna Wright married Deacon E. S. Phelps, who was subsequently one of the pioneer settlers of Princeton, Ill., and became quite prominent in the public and business life of the town.
Ansel Wright, Sr., who was born in North- ampton in 1797, carried on a successful gro- cery business in company with Theodore Rust for twenty-five years. This partnership was succeeded by one entered into with his son, George F. Wright, in the same profitable busi- ness, and continued from 1848 till 1857, the firm name being A. Wright & Son. The father was Deputy Sheriff for thirty-seven years preceding his death, which occurred February 19, 1872. He married on June I, 1825, Elizabeth Boleyn, who was born in 1803, in Enfield, Conn., of English origin, a daughter of Elijah and Electa (Pease) Boleyn, and died September 10, 1848. They were the parents of nine children. Four of these, Asahel, Asahel (second), Henry, and Harriet, died under six years of age. Eliza- beth died at the age of nine years.
Of the rest, George F., who died in 1865,
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aged thirty-nine years, for nearly nineteen years of his life served as Deputy Sheriff, hav- ing been appointed the day he was twenty-one years old, and was also Collector of Internal Revenue from 1862 to his death. He left a daughter, who married Lewis T. Hall, of Chi- cago, and a son, George F., Jr., who resides with his mother in Chicago. Chauncey Wright, who graduated from Harvard College in the class of 1852, was an eminent scientist ; he died in 1875, aged forty-five years, leaving valuable writings, which have been compiled and published, together with a sketch of his life, by Professor J. B. Thayer, of Cambridge. He was an instructor under Professor Agassiz, and was engaged by the government to prepare with Professor Runkle the Nautical Almanac. Frederick C. Wright enlisted as a private in the Tenth Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, was promoted within three months to the rank of Lieutenant in the Twenty-seventh Massa- chusetts Volunteer Infantry, was wounded at the battle of Cold Harbor, June 4, 1864, and died in Washington from his injuries twenty- three days later, June 27, aged twenty-five years. His body was brought home for inter- ment in the beautiful resting-place for the dead in Northampton.
Ansel Wright, Jr., subject of this sketch, was the fourth child and the third son of the family. In-1857 he became a member of the firm of G. F. Wright & Co., and for many years was prominent in the grocery trade of this city. He has also been an extensive dealer in ice, having continued until 1891 as owner and manager of the business commenced by his father in 1842, and which is now incorporated as the Norwood Ice Company.
On November 22, 1858, Mr. Wright was united in marriage with Sarah L. Fitts, a daughter of Robert and Lucy (Bangs) Fitts, of this town. Mrs. Wright has two sisters: Mrs.
Mary Nutting, of Indianola, Ia. ; and Mrs. Hannah B. Wright, widow of George F., of Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Wright have had four children, one of whom, Sadie H., died in 1881, aged fifteen years. The others are as follows : Elizabeth B., wife of A. F. Hatch, an attorney of Chicago; Frederick W., a com- mercial traveller for the William Skinner Manufacturing Company, residing in New York; and Lucy F., wife of Dana Pearson, of this town, and the mother of two daughters, Dorothy and Elizabeth.
Mr. Wright is one of the active business men of this part of the county who take an ear- nest interest in public affairs. By the honest and efficient discharge of his duties as Deputy Sheriff (having held that office for nearly thirty years), and in other positions of respon- sibility, he has gained the respect and con- fidence of his fellow - citizens. He was Collector of Internal Revenue from 1865 till 1869, Constable of the town and city for thirty years, engineer of the fire department five years, and for twelve years coroner. He is Vice-President and one of the Trustees of the Hampshire Savings Bank, and a Director in the Hampshire Mutual Fire Insurance Com- pany. Mr. Wright has also served for sixteen years as President and Treasurer of the North- ampton Dyke Company. He has taken the thirty-second degree in Masonry, is a Knight Templar, and has been Treasurer of the Com- mandery and the Chapter. His brother George was also prominent in the Masonic order, being Master of Jerusalem Lodge.
ENRY S. GERE, proprietor and pub- lisher of the Hampshire Gazette, a prominent citizen of Northampton and a man of wide-spread influence, was born in Williamsburg, Mass., April 30, 1828, son
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of Edward and Arabella (Williams) Gere. His paternal grandfather, Isaac Gere, whose parents were Nathan and Jerusha Gere, was born in Preston, Conn., December 6, 1771, and died in Northampton, Mass., September 24, 1812. He was a jeweller by trade, and in 1800 he erected directly opposite the Old Church the first brick store built in North- ampton. He was first married on March I, 1798, to Jemima, daughter of Enos and Abi- gail Kingsley, of Northampton, and by this union had three children, as follows : Edward, who was born at Northampton, Mass., Decem- ber 19, 1798; Lucy, born September 11, 1800, died in infancy; Isaac, Jr., who was born February 3, 1803, and died in Oxford, Ohio, in 1851, whither he had gone in 1838. Isaac Gere, Jr., was a man well known in Williamsburg, Mass., where he was engaged as a merchant and woollen manufacturer, and served as Selectman and member of the legis- lature. He left two sons and daughters. For his second wife Isaac Gere, Sr., married Lucy Ware, by whom he had two sons, Frederick and William, and one daughter, Lucy, who married Dr. Brown, and died in Ohio at an advanced age.
Edward Gere, father of Henry S., was a graduate of Yale College, but on account of impaired health gave up his contemplated pro- fessional career and settled on his farm in the northerly part of Williamsburg. He took an active interest in public affairs, and at the time of his death held the office of Selectman. HIe was a prominent member of the Methodist church and one of the most respected citizens of the town. He was married on October 14, 1824, to Arabella Williams, daughter of Gross Williams, of Williamsburg, Mass. She was born January 6, 1805, and died at Williams- burg, March 5, 1893. Their three children were: Edward W., born April 8, 1826, who
died in Leamington, England, on the day of his mother's death here; Henry S., of North- ampton ; and Collins, born November 25, 1830, who died at Southampton, April 22, 1882. Edward W. and Collins were manu- facturers of brass goods, of the firm of Hay- den, Gere & Co., having their headquarters in New York City and their factory at Hayden- ville in Hampshire County, Massachusetts. Edward Gere, the father, died September 24, 1832, in Williamsburg, where both he and his wife are buried.
Henry S. Gere acquired a good practical education in the public schools of Williams- burg and at Wilbraham Academy and Willis- ton Seminary. His business career began at the age of seventeen, when on March 5, 1845, he became the printer's "devil " in the office of the Hampshire Herald in Northampton. This was the first abolition paper in Western Massachusetts, and had but recently been started. In 1847 young Gere rose to the posi- tion of editor. About a year later the Hamp- shire Herald was merged into the Northampton Courier, previously a Whig organ; and it was published by Mr. Gere, who had now become its owner, as a Free Soil paper for nearly ten years. In November, 1858, the Courier and the Gasette were united under the name of the Hampshire Gazette, which became the leading Republican paper of the county. Since that time the paper has been published on Gothic Street, in the building purchased by the owners of the Gazette over thirty years ago. The Ga- zette is now in its one hundred and tenth year.
In 1862 Mr. Gere enlisted in the Fifty-sec- ond Massachusetts Infantry, Company C, as a private, and was in the Banks expedition to Louisiana. While in rendezvous at Baton Rouge, previous to the attack of Port Hudson, he was appointed Postmaster by General Grover, and held that office until the expira-
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tion of his term of service. Soon after the regiment returned, its members formed an asso- ciation, of which Mr. Gere was chosen secre- tary and treasurer, which position he still holds. He was married August 22, 1849, to Martha, daughter of Simeon P. and Dorcas (Clapp) Clark, of Easthampton. They buried one child, Frederick, at the age of six years. Their living children are: George S., a printer ; Collins H. and Edward C., both asso- ciate editors and partners with their father ; Mary E., a graduate of Smith College, and at the present time a teacher in the Western Fe- male College in Oxford, Ohio; William H., a reporter on the Hampshire Gasette; and Martha F., a young lady residing at home.
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