USA > Massachusetts > Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1901 > Part 34
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On August 21, 1861, he was united in mar- riage with Miss Laura Tilden, who was born in Scituate, Mass., a daughter of the Rev. William Phillips and Mary (Foster) Tilden, her father being a Unitarian minister. Three children were the fruit of this union, namely : Joseph Tilden, born July 22, 1862, an archi- tect of Boston; Mary Foster, born January 30, 1865, who died August 7 of the same year;
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and George May, born June 13, 1866, who died March 30, 1867.
ARELL JAMES WILLIS, cashier of the Blue Hill National Bank, of Milton Lower Mills, was born in Dorchester, September 11, 1830, son of Solomon H. and Mary Ann Varoe
(Cripps) Willis. He is descended from Deacon John Willis, who sailed from England for America, April 3, 1635, in the ship " Paul." This early ancestor of Mr. Willis settled in Duxbury, Mass., before 1637 and in Bridgewater in 1650. He was the first Repre- sentative from Bridgewater to the Council at Plymouth and was such for seventeen years. He died 1692-93. He had four brothers, and possibly six, who are the ancestors of the different branches of the family scattered through Massachusetts.
A grandson of Deacon John was Judge Ben- jamin Willis, who held important offices in the Colony, and was a man of property and influence; who wore his cocked hat, velvet coat, silk stockings, and shoe and knec buckles. It is said of him that he used to ride on horseback about his farm to do his planting. This inspired some wag of the time to write the following jingle : -
" Willis Ben, the best of men That ever yet was born, So filled with pride he needs must ride To plant his beans and corn,"
Thomas Willis, fourth generation from Deacon John, was born October 31, 1744. He died December, 1836, in his ninety-third year. He was a Revolutionary soldier, and served under Washington during the occu- paney of Dorchester Heights. He married for his first wife Susannah Hewett, by whom he had at least two children - Jedediah and Polly. By his second wife, Sarah Dean, he had four children - Dean, Stillman, Rhoda, and Sarah.
Jedediah Willis, son of Thomas and Su- sannah, was born October 7, 1784, and died January 27, 1828. He served in the War of 1812, being stationed for some time at Sack-
ett's Harbor. He married, August 3, IS02, Adah Hayward, who was of an old Easton family.
Solomon H. Willis, son of Jedediah and Adah H. Willis, was born in Easton, Bristol County, Mass., April 27, 1804. In his youth he served an apprenticeship to the carpenter's trade, which he followed subsequently for many years. For some time he was employed in the Boston Custom-house, and for a while he was connected with the Dorchester police department. The last thirty years of his life were spent in Somerville, Mass. His wife Mary, who was born in Salem, Mass., October 15, 1809, was a daughter of James Cripps, a native of the island of Guernsey, in the Eng- lish Channel.
James Cripps, when a lad of thirteen, was sent to Portsmouth, England, to learn the trade of ship-rigger, but had not been there more than a few months when he was impressed on board a tender of a man-of-war and transferred to the "Victory," Admiral Nelson's flagship. As a member of the crew of that vessel he took part in some of the most famous naval engagements in English history, including the battle of the Nile, that of Cape St. Vincent, the siege of Naples, the battle of Copenhagen, and the still more celebrated battle of Trafal- gar, in which Admiral Nelson was killed. At the conclusion or suspension of the war he obtained his liberty and came to America, set- tling in Salem, Mass., where he entered the employ of the old merchant, William Gray. While a resident of that city he married Han- nah Savery, of Marblehead, Mass. On the breaking out of the War of 1812 with Great Britain, he enlisted on board the "Constitu- tion," and subsequently as a member of her crew took part in the capture of the English frigate "Java." After the war was over he married a second wife, went to Damariscotta, Me., where he settled on a farm, and where he resided until his death, which took place in 1875, after he had reached an advanced age.
Mr. and Mrs. Solomon H. Willis were the parents of three children - Sarell James, Charlotte Elizabeth, and Susan Adah. Char- lotte E., who was born June 14, 1833, married
SARELL J. WILLIS.
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Nathaniel Dennett, of Somerville, and died November 22, IS75. Susan Adah, who was born March 23, 1841, died April 25, 1846, at the age of five years. The father died on October 7, IS91. He was a member of the I. O. O. F. His wife's death occurred De- cember 20, 1895.
Sarell J. Willis received his education in the public schools of Dorchester. In 1847, at the age of seventeen, he began an appren- ticeship to the tinsmith's trade, which lasted four and a half years; and after that, he worked as a journeyman until 1864. He then made a decided change of occupation, becom- ing a member of the stock company at the Boston Theatre, where he subsequently re- mained till 1870, the first year playing under the name of John Scott, but afterward appear- ing under his own proper name. In 1870, abandoning the stage, he accepted a position as book-keeper with Jolin F. Bispham, a lum- ber dealer at Harrison Square, Dorchester, which he held until January, 1876. In
March of the year last named he was appointed cashier in the Blue Hill National Bank, which position he has now held for over twenty-four years. He is a member of Macedonian Lodge, F. & A. M., of Milton, and also belongs to Improved Order of Red Men and the Knights of Honor. He is, besides, a member of the Old School-boys' Association and an associate mem- ber of Post No. 6S, G. A. R.
Mr. Willis was married September 11, I854, to Miss Mary W. Bispham, of Dorches- ter, a daughter of Eleazer J. and Mary E. (Tolman) Bispham (see separate sketch of her father). He has three children: Benjamin Cushing, born January 4, 1856, who is in the employ of the New York, New Haven & Hart- ford Railroad Company; Mary Elizabeth Bisp- ham, who is the wife of Dr. Homer Emerson, D. D. S., of Milton Lower Mills; and Howard Bispham, who is engaged in the cigar and tobacco business in Boston.
LEAZER JOHNSON BISPHAM, for many years a well-known and highly respected citizen of Milton Lower Mills, Dorchester, was born in Dorchester,
September 17, 1804, son of Eleazer and Jerusha (Leeds) Bispham. The family is of English origin. "The majority of the Bisp- hams in the United States," it is said in a book relating to the history of the family. "are descended from two brothers, Benjamin and Joshua," who settled in New Jersey before the middle of the eighteenth century. Of his own branch, the subject of this sketch stated in a letter. dated September 1, 1871, that he had no information going further back than his grandfather, Thomas Bispham, of Charles- town, Mass., who was born in 1723, and died in Charlestown in 1771. He was a ship- master sailing from Boston in the employ cf Eleazer Johnson, a merchant of Boston, or pos- sibly Newburyport, whose daughter Elizabeth he married. Thomas Bispham had three sos - Thomas, Jr., who died unmarried; William. who settled in Charlestown; Eleazer, the father above-named, who settled in Dorchester -: a daughter Catherine. Thomas, third, son of William, settled at Natick.
Eleazer Johnson Bispham was educated in the public schools of Dorchester and Milton. his teacher at one time being Jesse Pierce. father of Henry L. Pierce and of Edward L. Pierce, the author of the Life of Charles Sum- ner. At about the age of seventeen he began to be self-supporting, working in different stores and for some time as clerk for a Mr. Leeds, of Boston. Then coming to Milton Lower Mills, he established a dry-goods store about 1822 or 1823, which he carried on suc- cessfully until about 1852. In 1848 he was appointed cashier of the old Dorchester and. Milton Bank, subsequently known as the Blue Hill Bank, and still later as the Blue Hill National Bank, and held that position until March 1, 1876. In the year last named he be- came president of the bank, and so remained till his death, which occurred November IO, 1892. Prominent in local politics, he served nearly ten years as Selectman, was a member of the Dorchester School Committee, and was twice elected to the Legislature, besides being otherwise active in town affairs. He took a prominent part in the celebration of the Iwo hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settle- ment of Dorchester, held in 1855. His success
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in life he owed mainly to his own foresight, enterprise, and habits of industry, and he might not only be appropiately called a "self-made man," but also one of sterling worth.
He was married on May 25, 1833, to Miss Mary Elizabeth Tolman, daughter of Robert Pierce and Mary (Walker) Tolman, of Dor- chester. Mr. Bispham and his wife were the parents of seven children. Of these two died in infancy; Mary Walker, born July 14, 1835, is the wife of Sarell J. Willis, cashier of the Blue Hill National Bank of Dorchester (see preceding sketch) ; Eleazer W. died March 19, 1899, at the age of sixty-one, having been twice married; Elizabeth Tolman is the wife of Dr. J. M. Daly, of Dorchester; John F. died in 1886; and Henry C. is a druggist in South Boston.
EV. WILLIAM- HERVEY ALL- BRIGHT, D.D., pastor of the l'il- grim Church, Boston, was born near London, England, in the year 1849, being a son of John and Elizabeth (Chambers) Allbright and one of a family of ten children.
John Allbright was a monumental stone- cutter in Northampton, England, where he did quite an extensive business as a contractor and church builder, and where he died at the age of about sixty years. His wife, Eliza- beth, died at the age of fifty-four. Two of their children came to America, namely: Arthur E., who settled in Rochester, N. Y. ; and William H., the subject of this sketch.
Before coming to this country, William Hervey Allbright had received a good com- mon-school education, and had served five years' apprenticeship in acquiring a knowl- edge of business and trade. He landed in New York in the spring of 1870, and for one year thereafter was engaged in industrial pur- suits in the north-western part of the Empire State.
While serving as president of a local Young Men's Christian Association, and accomplish- ing an excellent work in rural, lay-evangelistic service, his mind was forcibly directed toward the gospel ministry. In consultation with
several pastors, it seemed best for him to undertake a course of study, including one year at Whitestown Seminary, preparatory to a full course at Hamilton College. In this first year of study he excelled in ex tempore debate, and carried off one of the prizes at the graduating exercises. He matriculated at Hamilton in the spring of 1872, and was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in the Centennial class of 1876. Here, again, he was prize winner in public speaking, and received an appointment with five others for prize debate. For the class-day exercises he was chosen historian, and for four years he honored his class as college deacon and leader of the college choir. Of the college quintet he was founder and manager, and in college sports he was chosen captain of the foot-ball team for two successive years.
From Hamilton, in the fall of 1876, Mr. Allbright went to Auburn Theological Semi- nary. The lay service which he had rendered previous to his college course and all through it served him to good advantage on entering upon his theological and homiletical studies. Dr. Herrick Johnson was then at the head of the homiletical department, and his profi- ciency and enthusiasm gave to the whole class of 1879 a decided homiletic bias.
During the summer vacation at the end of the Junior year Mr. Allbright served the Franklin Street Presbyterian Church at Lan- sing, Mich., with great acceptance. So far was this true that the church waited for nearly two years without a pastor in the hope of se- curing his service when his seminary studies should be completed.
At the end of the middle year he spent the summer in England, visiting with his parents and friends. In the spring of 1879 he re- ceived a call to serve the Presbyterian church at Waverly, N. Y. This overture was barely considered and settled before another was re- ceived from the Second Presbyterian Church of the seminary city. This call he accepted. Already two others of his class had accepted calls in the same city. These three unions of classmates and churches were subsequently acknowledged by pastors and people to be of the Lord. Each was successful, and all are
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memorable in the annals of that fair city. In the fall of this same year Mr. Allbright was married to Mary Esther, eldest daughter of the Rev. E. N. Manley, then of Camden, N. Y. The fruit of this happy union has been seven children, the eldest of whom is in the Boston Latin School. Of the other six three were taken to heaven in their infancy.
The first pastorate with the church at Auburn covered a period of eight years. Dur- ing this time three hundred and seventy-one persons were welcomed into the fellowship of the church. In financial prosperity, in thor- oughness of organization, in spiritual results and hearty co-operation, this honored church maintained the record of former years under the ministry of Dr. Morris and of Dr. Board- man.
From the Auburn pastorate Mr. Allbright was called to Stillwater, Minn., to succeed the brilliant orator and so-called "Beecher of the North-west," Dr. J. Halstead Carroll. The church is the oldest ecclesiatical organi- zation in the North-west. It has a pleasant new edifice and a commanding influence. The same success in all departments of church life and work marked this second pastorate which characterized the first. After but three years of service the church surrendered its pastor, with a deep and sincere regret, to the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Boston, Mass.
The ninth anniversary of the third pastorate was observed last year ( 1899) in connection with Mr. Allbright's fiftieth birthday. The Pilgrim Church recognized the occasion by giving to its pastor a purse of two hundred dollars in gold and a beautiful mahogany roller-top desk. Among other things for which this pastorate stands is a beautiful new edifice, erected at a cost of about seventy-five thousand dollars. To the roll of membership have been added five hundred and fifty new names. The finances are in excellent condi- tion. The organization of the various socie- ties is complete, and their work efficient. This church has a fraternal association consist- ing of the gentlemen of the church and con- gregation, whose meetings are held once a month. Its objects are sociability and mutual
financial benefit, and it is as helpful to pastor and church as it is original and unique.
Pilgrim Church has also a Mutual Improve- ment Society, which meets every Tuesday evening at the church. Its object is literary, social, musical, and religious. It has over two hundred members, and has been most suc- cessfully continued for nine years, being of inestimable value to the church. There is also the Senior Endeavor Society, with its membership of about one hundred and fifty, and the Junior Endeavor; with its membership of about one hundred and ten. The Sabbath school numbers nearly six hundred, and is di- vided into three departments - primary, inter- mediate, and main. The church is well lo- cated, and is growing healthfully. The church is not wealthy, but its current income for ordinary expenses is nearly seven thousand dollars. It raises nearly fifteen thousand dol- lars for all purposes, annually.
Dr. Allbright has an established reputation as an able and pungent preacher. He re- ceived the degree of Doctor of Divinity from Hamilton College in 1896. In theology he may be classed as a moderate conservative. At the morning service he usually preaches from manuscript, though with great freedom in its use. In the evening he commonly ex- temporizes. He is popular as a platform speaker, being constantly invited to make ad- dresses at Endeavor reunions, and before such organizations as the Boston Boot and Shoe Club, and denominational clubs in the State. He has been chairman of the Executive Com- mittee of the Boston Congregational Club, and is becoming favorably known as a preacher of rare merit, an organizer of unusual strength, a capable financier, a popular speaker, and a genial friend.
He takes a lively interest in the cause of labor and the welfare of the laboring man, which he has demonstrated by timely service. In 1894, during the strike of the West End Street Railway employees, at a meeting of prominent citizens held in Faneuil Hall, Dr. Allbright, Robert Treat Paine, Esq., and others were appointed members of a commit- tee to effect, if possible, a settlement of the trouble that should be satisfactory to both
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sides - a difficult undertaking, successfully achieved, however, largely, or rather mainly, through the personal efforts of Dr. Allbright.
As he is the friend of labor, so is he the re- lentless enemy of the saloon, which he has succeeded in driving from the neighborhood of the Pilgrim Church, and of the liquor traffic in general, which he attacks at every favorable opportunity as the most potent of all evil in- fluences, tending to destroy the home, degrade humanity, and retard the cause of civilization and Christianity.
Dr. Allbright has been secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of Boston and the vicin- ity. He is a director of the Citizens' Law and Order League, of the Sabbath Protective League, and of the Weekly Rest Day Union. His four living children are: Manley, who is a graduate of the Boston Latin School; Eliza- beth, aged eighteen years; Eunice Bradley, aged seven years; and ~Amy Moore, aged six years. Manley Allbright passed the Harvard examinations, and is now a student at Hamil- ton College, where at the last commencement he took the first prize in declamation.
RANK HERBERT TILTON, M.D., one of the best known physicians of East Boston, was born in Great Falls (now Somersworth), N.H., July 2, 1856, son of John and Celia Luce (Meader) Tilton. His paternal grandfather was Samuel Tilton, of Sandwich, Carroll County, N. H.
On the maternal side he is a descendant of Francis Meader, Revolutionary soldier, who was born March 11, 1744, and probably went from Nantucket to Martha's Vineyard prior to his marriage, as it is known that he was re- siding in Edgartown in January, 1781, and also at the taking of the first United States census in 1790. Mr. Meader afterward removed to Industry, Me., where he followed the carpen- ter's trade for the rest of his active life, his death occurring in 1831. During his last years he was a pensioner. He married Mary Holley, who was born in 1751 and died in 1832. They were the parents of nine chil- dren, William, Dr. Tilton's great-grandfather,
being the seventh-born. William Meader was a cabinet-maker by trade; and until 1844, with the exception of a short time spent in Stark, Me., he followed that occupation in the town of Industry. In 1844 he removed to Rock Island County, Illinois; and in 18So he died in Ottawa, La Salle County, same State. aged ninety-five years. The maiden name of his first wife was Celia Luce. His second wife, Sarah Tibbetts, whom he married in ISIS, died in the following year; and on No- vember 6, 1823, he married Mary Ann Brad- bury.
Dr. Tilton's maternal grandparents were Francis, second, and Nancy (Willard) Meader, the grandfather being the eldest son of Will- iam Meader by his first marriage. Francis Meader, second, served an apprenticeship at the blacksmith's trade with one Mark Trafton, of Industry, and followed that occupation at Allen's Mills as long as his health would per- mit. Being of a studious nature, he embraced every opportunity within his reach for the improvement of his mind. This made him eligible to public office; and he represented his district in the Legislature in 1838, and served upon the Board of Selectmen in 1842. Possessing a talent for music, like the major- ity of the Meader family, he was an excellent singer as well as an expert instrumentalist. He died in Industry April 4, 1846, aged forty-two years; and his widow, who spent her last years with her children in Indiana, died in Fowler, Benton County, that State. in 1876.
John Tilton, Dr. Tilton's father, was born in Sandwich, N. H., July 8, 1828. Ilis early years were spent in Great Falls, whence he removed in November, 1859, to Nashua, N.H., where he resided for the rest of his life. He was reared upon a farm, but at the age of seventeen engaged in the manufacturing of cotton goods, which he followed for some nine years; and after settling in Nashua he entered mercantile business. He stood high in the estimation of his fellow-citizens, and was three times elected to the State Legis- lature, besides holding other public offices. John Tilton died August 22, 1896. He mar- ried in Great Falls, April 3, 1853, Celia Luce
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Meader, who was born in Industry, November 5, 1825, and died in Nashua, September 15, 1883. She joined the Methodist denomina- tion when young, and continued an active member of that church for the rest of her life. John and Celia Luce Tilton were the parents of three children, of whom Frank H. Tilton, M. D., the subject of this sketch, is the eld- est, the others being: Osmon Baker, born October S, 1858; and John Littlefield, born January 17, 1863.
Frank Herbert Tilton, after taking the reg- ular classical course at the Nashua High School, pursued his professional studies in New York . City, and in the medical depart- ment of the University of Vermont, where he took his degree in the class of June, 1879. Hle inaugurated his practice in Norway, Me., as a partner of the late Dr. Calvin E. Evans. This partnership being soon dissolved, Dr. Tilton started for himself, and was very suc- cessful there; but, desiring a more rapid pro- fessional advancement, he sought a wider field of operation, and in 1886 located himself in East Boston. Here his restless ambition and professional abilities have found ample scope for expansion, and to-day his practice will compare favorably with that of any other phy- sician in the Island Ward. While in Maine Dr. Tilton was United States Government Pen- sion Examiner for the district in which he lived, also examiner for most of the old line life insurance companies in that section. He retains the position of medical examiner to life insurance companies, also trustee and physician to the Immigrants' Home at East Boston, and physician to St. Mary's Home, East Boston. He is a fellow of the American Medical Society and the Massachusetts Medi- cal Society, a member of the the Maine Medical Society, and in very active and successful prac- tice at the present time. In Masonry he has taken thirty-two degrees, being a member of William Parker Commandery, Knights Temp- lar; and his other fraternal affiliations are with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of Pythias. He is also in- terested in religious matters, and holds mem- bership in the Saratoga Methodist Church.
Dr. Tilton married for his first wife Miss
Fannie Prescott Small, daughter of Hanson Wentworth and Harriette E. (Bearce) Small, of Turner, Me. She died in June, 1897, leav- ing two children: Winona, born June IS, 1880; and Celia, born January 30, 1885. His present wife, whom he married March I. 1898, was Miss Caroline Crane, of Spring- field, Ill., only daughter of the Rev. James Lyons Crane. Mrs. Caroline Tilton possesses many charming accomplishments, including an excellent voice, which has been highly culti- vated by European masters; and she is con- sidered a most welcome addition to the select social circles of East Boston. In politics Dr. Tilton is a Republican.
G ENRY AUSTIN POTTER, a well- known citizen of Marblehead, for many years identified with the lum- ber trade, was born in Wenham, Mass., January 11, IS19, son of Benjamin and Annie (Bailey) Potter. His parents were both natives of Massachusetts, his father born in Ipswich and his mother in Rowley. He comes of old colonial stock of English origin. being a representative of the seventh genera- tion of the family founded by Anthony Potter, who settled at Ipswich as early as 1648, and married Elizabeth Whipple. The descent is through Anthony's son Edmund, 2 born at Ips- wich in 1654, who married Abigail Wells: Nathaniel, 3 born about 1686, married first Hannah Patch; Nathaniel, + born in 1721, mar- ried Mary Patch; Benjamin, 5 born in llamil- ton in 1771, married Anna Kinsman; Benja- min,6 born at Ipswich in 1794, married Anna Bailey. (See Genealogies of the Potter Fami- lies in America, edited by Charles E. Potter. )
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