Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1901, Part 40

Author:
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Boston, Graves & Steinbarger
Number of Pages: 924

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In 1893 he was elected secretary and treas- urer of the Retail and Wholesale Marble Dealers' Association of New England and the Provinces, a position that he still holds, having been re- elected each successive year. He belongs, also, to various social and fraternal organizations,. being a member of the Brimmer School Asso- ciation ; Past Grand of Dorchester Lodge, No. 158, I. O. O. F .; Past Chief Patriarch of Shalom Encampment, No. 12, I. O. O. F. ; a member of Crescent Rebekah Lodge, No. 35, I. O. O. F. ; Past Dictator of the Knights of Honor ; a member of Macedonian Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Milton, Mass .; and a member of Temple Lodge, A. O. U. W., No. 9, of Dorches- ter.

On June 19, 1875, Mr. Somers married Clara A. Estabrook, of Sherburne, Vt., a daughter of Richard and Dorcas (Colton) Estabrook. She died March 3, 1879; and Mr. Somers married for his second wife March 27, 1889, Emma S., daughter of Albert J. and Esther S. (Vose) Mosher, of Milton, Mass. Mrs. Emma S. Somers died July 1, 1897.

ATHAN PERKINS SANBORN, presi- dent of the Marblehead Savings Bank, the Marblehead Board of Trade, and other local organizations, was born in Henniker, N.H., June 25, 1825, son of Dr. Nathan and Seus (Lancaster) Sanborn. His parents were natives of New Hampshire, as were also his paternal grandfather and great-grand- father, each of whom bore the name of Ebenezer, the grandfather being a native of Sanbornton. He is descended from John Sanborn, an Eng-

lishman, who emigrated with his maternal grand- father, Stephen Batchelder, in 1632, landing at Boston. This early ancestor of Mr. Sanborn's settled in Lynn, Mass., whence he went in 1638 to Hampton, N.H. Dr. Nathan Sanborn prac- tised medicine in Henniker from 1816 to 1858.

Nathan P. Sanborn was graduated at the Henniker Academy, and for a short time he taught school in his native town. In his nine- teenth year he began the study of architect- ure with Keyes Brothers, of Gardner, Mass. About a year later he became a student under Hiram .Bailey, then a prominent architect and builder in Manchester, N.H., with whom he remained some two years, during which time he acquired a good knowledge of architecture and practical building. He first engaged in busi- ness for himself at Melrose, Mass., but in 1848 removed to Marblehead, where he soon became permanently established as an architect and builder. For nearly thirty years he carried on building operations with success, but from 1877 to the present time he has given his attention chiefly to architecture.

Mr. Sanborn was formerly quite largely in- terested in real estate, and for many years he has been officially connected with the leading financial institutions of the town. He was one of the promoters and incorporators of the Marblehead Savings Bank, of which institution he was the first vice-president, has been a trus- tee for a number of years, and is now presi- dent ; and for the past sixteen years he has served as director of the National Grand Bank. He has also been president of the Marblehead Board of Trade since its organization in 1886. He was elected first president of the Marblehead Historical Society, organized in 1898, and is still in office. Ile is chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Abbott Public Library, and for fifteen years has been president of the Board of Trustees of the Marblehead Academy. For a quarter of a century he was a member of the Marblehead School Committee, serving during the last few years of his incumbeney as its chairman ; and for two years he served with ability on the Board of Selectmen. He is one of the most prominent members of the First Congregational Church, having officiated as superintendent of the Sunday-school for thirty-

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tour years, as treasurer for over thirty years, and as chairman of the parish committee for more than twenty-five years. As a public- spirited citizen he is highly esteemed, and as a business man his native energy and progressive tendencies have been of much benefit to the town.

On November 20, 1847, Mr. Sanborn mar- lied Miss Mary Ann Sanders, a native of San- bornton, N.H. Their children are: the Rev. Francis W. Sanborn, a Congregational minis- ler ; and Dr. Nathan Willard Sanborn, of Wellesley Hills, Mass.

NSLEY M. JOHNSON, a successful business man and esteemed citizen of Dorchester, an extensive dealer in real estate, fire insurance. agent, and Justice of the Peace, was born March 12, 1863, in Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, near the old home of Evangeline, in "the Acadian land," a son of Weston Johnson. His father also was a native of Nova Scotia. His grand- mother on his father's side was the daughter of an Englishman named Hicks, who settled in New Jersey in the early part of the eigh- teenth century. During the Revolutionary War Mr. Hicks, being loyal to the Crown, went with the Loyalists to New Brunswick, and later removed to Nova Scotia, where he was engaged in general farming until his death.

Weston Johnson followed the carpenter's trade throughout his active life, and when obliged to give up work came to Boston to live with his son Ansley M., at whose home he died September 30, 1897. lle married Mary E. Banks, who was born and reared in Nova Scotia, a daughter of John Banks. She sur- vives her husband, and is living in Dorchester. The four children born of their union are as follows: Cereatha, wife of Edwin Banks, of Nova Scotia; Alburta, of Boston; Ansley M., the subject of this sketch; and Mary E., wife of Captain M. Apt, of Annapolis, N. S.

Ansley M. Johnson left the public schools ot bis native town when a boy of sixteen years, and under his father's instruction learned the carpenter's trade, at which he worked five

years. On coming of age, he migrated to Boston, where he was employed as a journey- man for a year and a half. At the end of that time he engaged in business for himself as a contractor and builder, locating in South Bos- ton, where he remained ten years. He then established himself as a real estate dealer in Dorchester, at the same time assuming the agencies of the Firemen's Fund Insurance Company and Glens Falls Insurance Company, and has since met with excellent success, hav- ing built up an extensive business. Politi- cally, he affiliates with the Republican party. He belongs to several secret organizations, in- cluding the I. O. O. F., the K. of M., and the A. O. U. W.

Mr. Johnson was married in October, 1888, to Ethel L. Williams, who was born in St. John, N. B., a daughter of James and Frances (Barnes) Williams. Two children have been born of their union - Beatrice and Elmer. Both Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are members of the Baptist church at Neponset.

ONATHAN LOWELL PARKER, an enterprising farmer of Dorchester, was born on Salem Street, Boston, Novem- ber 19, 1826, son of Jonathan and Susan Elenor (Smith) Parker. His father, born in Dedham, Mass., in 1796, was a son of Jona- than Parker, the latter being the fifth of that name in direct line of descent. Some resided in Needham, Mass., while others lived in Ded- ham. The great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch served with the minute-men, and was killed in the Concord fight.

Jonathan Parker, father of Jonathan Lowell, accompanied his widowed mother from Dedham to Boston when he was twelve years old. En- tering mercantile business as a clerk in the hardware store of George Olden on Dock Square, he remained in that capacity for six- teen years, at the expiration of which time he purchased the business and continued it for a period of forty-two years. The last few years of his life were spent in retirement, and his death occurred in May, 1870. In his religious belief a Baptist, he took a deep interest in the church and Sunday-school, contributing liber-

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ally toward the support of both. He was a member of the Masonic order. His wife, Susan, who was born in the North End of Bos- ton, is a sister of the late S. F. Smith, D. D., of Newton, author of the patriotic hymn, "America." She died in May, 1900, aged ninety-four years. Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Parker were residents of the North End when that locality was inhabited by the leading mer- chants, bankers, and professional men of Bos- ton. They were the parents of three children - Jonathan L., Sarah Elizabeth, and George Francis. Sarah Elizabeth died at the age of sixteen years. George Francis Parker is a resident of Winchester, Mass.

Jonathan Lowell Parker began his education in the Eliot School, and completed his studies at the English High School, being the recipi- ent of a Franklin medal. From early boyhood it had been his chief ambition to become a farmer, and a period of -fifteen years as clerk in his father's store failed to overcome his de- sire in that direction. He accordingly relin- quished his position and future mercantile prospects in order to engage in agricultural pursuits in Dorchester ; and tilling the soil has not only been to him a pleasant occupation, but has, through his untiring energy and pro- gressive tendencies, proved remunerative as well. In his younger days Mr. Parker was a Whig in politics, but ever since the dissolu- tion of that party he has voted with the Re- publicans. He is a member of the Second Church, Dorchester.

On March 31, 1856, Mr. Parker was united in marriage with Miss Rebecca Gleason Bass, a native of Dorchester and daughter of Seth Billings and Sarah (Gleason) Bass. Through her father, who was a native of Vermont, Mrs. Parker is related to the famous Adams family of Quincy, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Parker have one son, George Lowell Parker, who was born in the house in which he now resides, on March 20, 1857, was educated preliminarily in Dorchester, and graduated from the Massachu- setts State Agricultural College with the class of 1876. For many years he has devoted his time and attention to horticulture; and his present greenhouse, which comprises ten thou- sand feet of glass enclosure, was constructed in

1874. On October 26, 1881, he married Miss Ida T. Spargo, daughter of William and Eliza- beth Spargo. They have two children: Ida R., born October 4, 1882 ; and George Stephen Parker, born August 7, 1885.

ATHANIEL JACKSON, for many years identified with the leading busi-

ness interests of Brighton, Mass., was born in Stillwater, N. J., April 14, 1817, son of Samuel and Mary (Kimber)

Jackson. His original American ancestor was Deacon Edward Jackson, who with two brothers emigrated from London in 1640, set- tling in Newton, Mass. The Jackson descend- ants became widely distributed through New England; and during the Revolutionary War no less than thirty-five of that name enlisted in the Continental army from Newton, Mass., alone.

Samuel Jackson, father of the subject of this sketch, was a son of Samuel Jackson, second, who for years kept the hostelry in Brighton, then known as the Bull's Head Tavern. Samuel Jackson, third, was born in Brighton. In his mature life he spent some years in New Jersey, but returned to his old home, and died there in his seventy-ninth year. His wife, Mary Kimber Jackson, was a native of Goshen, N. Y. She died July 17, 1892, aged ninety- nine years and some months.

Nathaniel Jackson came with his parents from New Jersey to Brighton when eight years old, and attended the public schools until four- teen. From that time to his majority he was employed by James Dana, a well-known Brigh- ton butcher of his day; and he was subse- quently for a while engaged in business with John Gordon. In partnership with his brother Samuel, under the firm name of N. & S. Jackson, he then carried on for upward of thirty-five years a large and successful whole- sale butchering business, with headquarters in Brighton. After the dissolution of that firm he engaged with J. A. Hathaway in the ex- port cattle trade, and continued in that busi- ness until retiring some years ago. For nearly thirty years he was a director of the old Na- tional Bank of Brighton. His influence in be-

Nathaniel Jackson

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half of the moral and religious welfare of the community has been far-reaching in its bene- ficial effects. He formerly held membership in the Allston Baptist Church, but later that society was reorganized under the name of the Brighton Avenue Baptist Church, of which society he is still a member. Politically, he i- a Republican, but has never cared to accept public office, although frequently requested to become a candidate.

On January 10, 1847, Mr. Jackson married Elizabeth Griggs, daughter of Nathaniel As- pinwall and Nancy (Dearborn) Griggs, of Brighton. They have had five children : Har- riet Frances, who married J. A. Hathaway ; George Henry, born October 25, 1850; Ar- thur Eugene, born March 2, 1861 ; and Albert Griggs, born November 16, 1873 - all of whom reside in Brighton ; and Charles Howard, who died December IS, 1887. Arthur Eugene married Lavinia B. Pike, June 7, 1893. They have three children - Constance, Philip Na- thaniel, and Paul. Charles Howard in 1875 married Ida Jane Hastings, and had two chil- dren - Lilian Hastings and Harriet L., both living. Lilian Hastings Jackson was married December 7, 1897, to J. Prescott Gage, of Arlington. They have two children.

JDWARD FRANCIS GLEASON, of Dorchester, a member of the well-known business firm of R. & E. F. Gleason, was born in Dorchester, Mass., February 25, 1837, a son of Sarell and Mary Ann Gleason.

His paternal grandfather, Reuben Gleason, was a native of Vermont. He was twice mar- ricd. By his first wife, Martha, he had four children - Roswell, Moses G., Sarell, and Sarah; and by his second wife, Hannah San- born, he had five - Reuben, Joseph, Hannah, Olive, and Dorothy. Hannah married James Tewksbury, Olive married Archibald Thomp- son, and Dorothy became the wife of Amos Ilill.

Sarell Gleason was born in 1803 in Tops- ham, Orange County, Vt. In early manhood he followed farming in his native place, but while still a young man he came to Dorchester, where he learned the trade of tinsmith. Ile

subsequently followed that trade in South Bos- ton for many years, being the proprietor of the first tinsmith's shop there established. He finally gave up the business on account of fail- ing health, and became foreman for his brother Roswell, who was engaged in the manufacture of tin, Britannia, and silver-plated ware, and with whom he continued for a time; but, not being able to stand the confinement, he left his brother and engaged in teaming. His death occurred February 16, 1854. He was first married to Miss Sarah Bird, who died not long after their union. By his second wife, Mary Ann, a daughter of Joseph and Mehitable Howe, and belonging to an old Dorchester family, he had eight children; namely, Sarell, Thomas Vose, Edward Francis, Mary Ann, Sarah Bird, Helen Maria, Reuben, Edna Louisa. Sarell, Jr., who was born in South Boston, learned the trade of silver-plating, which he followed till 1862. He then estab- lished the undertaking business now carried on by his two brothers, Edward F. and Reuben, which he conducted for a number of years. He was a very popular man. His death took place April 2, 1879. Mary Ann married William Becker, of Dorchester, Mass. ; Sarah B. is the wife of John H. Hewitson, also of Dorchester; and Helen married Clarence A. Swan, of Dorchester. Mrs. Mary Ann Gleason died on November 19, 1889.

Edward F. Gleason was educated in the pub- lic schools of Dorchester. On completing his studies he learned the trade of chasing, which he followed till after the breaking out of the Civil War. In May, 1861, he enlisted in Company K, Eleventh Massachusetts Infantry, and, joining the Army of the Potomac, took part in various battles, among them Bull Run, Chancellorsville, Fredericksburg, Wil- derness, Gettysburg, Williamsburg, and others. Wounded at Williamsburg and disabled from active service for six weeks, he was again wounded at Gettysburg, and a third time in the Wilderness campaign. Ile served in all three years, and was honorably discharged June 13, 1864, in Boston. After the war be re- sumed his trade, and followed it till 1871, in which year he engaged in the sewing-machine business. This he continued till 1879, when

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he formed a partnership with his brother Reuben, and assumed the management of the undertaking business left without a head by the death of Sarell, Jr. The two brothers have since conducted it together very success- fully, doing the largest business of the kind in Dorchester. Mr. Edward F. Gleason is a member of Norfolk Lodge, I. O. O. F .; Post No. 68, G. A. R .; and of the Knights of Honor. He is a member of the Harvard Church, and in politics is a Republican.

He was married September 7, 1865, to Miss Sophronia Bassett Richmond, a native of Taunton, Mass., and a daughter of Salmon and Levina (Hathaway) Richmond. Of this union there have been three children : Edward Fran- cis, Jr., who was born June 17, 1866, and died August 22, 1876, at the age of ten years, two months, and five days; Sarell Everett, born January 24, 1881; and Frederick Richmond, born October 30, 1887. -

EORGE WELCOME WADS- WORTH, a business man of Bos- ton, residing in the Roxbury district, was born in Petersham, Mass., May 27, 1831, son of Welcome and Azubah (Ingersoll) Wads- worth. His father was a native of Grafton, Mass., born in 1794; and his grandfather, Ebenezer Wadsworth, was born in Milton, Mass., in 1723, son of David Wadsworth. David was a son of Recompense Wadsworth, borr. in 1688; Recompense a son of Ebenezer, born in 1660; and the latter a son of Samuel Wadsworth, who, with his brother Christopher, arrived in New England, September 16, 1623.

Establishing himself in mercantile business in Petersham, Welcome Wadsworth became ex- tensively engaged in the cheese trade, and also operated a transportation line between that town and Brattleboro, Vt. He was commis- sioned a Captain by Governor Lincoln, and was subsequently promoted to the rank of Colonel. Politically, he was a Democrat, and he at- tended the Unitarian church. Hc belonged also to the Masonic order, in which he had ad- vanced to the Commandery, and was a promi- nent figure in the business and military circles of his day. Ilis wife, Azubah, was a native

of Tolland, Conn., and a descendant of one of the Ingersoll brothers, John H. and Richard, who in 1662 settled in Salem, Mass., where they erected the house made famous by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the "House of the Seven Gables." Colonel Wadsworth died at the age of seventy-five years, and his wife at that of seventy-six.

George W. Wadsworth came to Boston in 1853, possessed of a good elementary education, and entered the employ of a commercial house as clerk, remaining in that capacity for three years. He next obtained a position as book- keeper, which he retained for six years. In 1865 he engaged in the hay, grain, and malt business, with which he has ever since been identified. He is also extensively interested in the manufacture of wood pulp, and his business enterprises have been attended with satisfactory financial results.

In politics, Mr. Wadsworth acts with the Democratic party. He is a Scottish Rite Ma- son, and affiliates with St. John Lodge, Mount Vernon Chapter, Joseph Warren Commandery, and Boston Lafayette Lodge of Perfection. He is also a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and a charter member of the Roxbury Club. His religious affiliations are with the First Universalist Church, Roxbury.

In 1857 Mr. Wadsworth was united in mar- riage with Miss Louisa A. Doanc, daughter of Captain Edmund N. and Almira Doanc. Of this union there were two children, the first- born of whom died in infancy. The second, Edmund Doane, who was born in 1861, died in 1887 at the age of twenty-six years. Mr. Wadsworth's first wife died in December, 1878; and on January S, 1880, he married Mrs. Mary C. Stanwood, a daughter of Edward and Fanny (Nutting) Emery, of Boston.

LBERT B. PLIMPTON, for a half- century and more a resident of Low- ell, Mass., in his later years the oldest Odd Fellow and the highest official of the I. O. O. F. in the city, was born in Worcester, Mass., May 12, 1821, and died in Lowell, December 19, 1899, in the seventy- ninth year of his age.

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He belonged to an old Colonial family of Inglish origin, being a descendant in the seventh generation of the immigrant progeni- · ! , whose marriage at Dedham, Massachusetts Fy Colony, in 1644, is thus recorded : "John Plympton and Jane Dammin were married the 1; o[ [ mo." From John' the line is traced. through his son Joseph,2 born in 1653, who "led in Medfield, Jonathan, 3 born in 1680, Captain Sylvanus, + born in 1722, Jonathan, 5 the grandfather, born in Medfield in 1752, and Simon,6 the father, a prosperous farmer, born :# 1792, to Albert B., the subject of this sketch. (See Genealogy of the Plimpton, or l'lympton, family by Levi B. Chase, also Til- den's History of Medfield. )

Albert B. Plimpton was educated in the schools of Worcester. He assisted his grand- fither in farming during the summers until fourteen years of age, when he began to learn the carpenter's trade. After serving his ap- prenticeship he worked as a journeyman in Worcester until 1843, when he came to Lowell, Mass., and followed his trade for the next nine years. In 1852 he went to California, where he spent a year in the mining districts of Cala- veras County, and then, returning to Lowell, resumed his trade. In 1855 he engaged in the manufacture of doors, sash, and blinds on his own account, and also did general jobbing. He had several men in his employ, and carried on a successful enterprise until 1863, when he sold the business and went South. After act- ing as superintendent of a cotton plantation for one year, he was located for a short time in Philadelphia. He once more returned to Lowell, and, resuming his connection with his former business, continued in it until his re- tirement, after occupying the same shop for about thirty years.

Mr. Plimpton married for his first wife Angeline Hudson, of Westboro, Mass. She died in 1893; and in May, 1898, he wedded for his second wife Theresa A. Wedgwood. lle left no children.

Politically, Mr. Plimpton was originally a Whig, voting later with the Free Soil party and Republican. He was twice a candidate for Mayor of this city. He was Past Grand of Oberlin Lodge, No. 28, I. O. O. F., which he

joined in January, 1844; Past Chief Patriarch of Mo-ho-make Encampment; an honorary member of Patriarchs Militant; Past Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Massachusetts ; and Past Grand Representative to the Sov- ereign Grand Lodge of the United States. lle was senior member and one of the organizers of Columbia Council of the United Order of American Mechanics.

AMUEL SMITH LEARNARD, a .prominent and respected citizen of Brighton (Ward Twenty-five, Bos- ton), was born in Brighton, Jan- uary 14, 1815, the year marked in the history of the world by the battle of Waterloo. His parents were Henry H. and Lydia (Trask) Learnard. The father, Henry H. Learnard, was born in Brighton, where he resided all his life, the active years of which were devoted to agriculture. He died in February, 1878. He was quite prominent in town affairs, serving as Town Treasurer for more than thirty years, and was for one or more terms a Representa- tive to the Legislature. His wife, Lydia Trask Learnard, who was a native of Boston, died in March, 1843.

Samuel S. Learnard was brought up on his father's farm, where he spent his youthful days; and his education was obtained in the public schools of the town. On reaching his majority he went into business for himself in Faneuil Hall Market as a retail dealer in pro- visions, for a short time having as partner Mr. Horace Brackett. Subsequently he became sole proprietor of the business, which he has carried on very successfully up to the present time. For many years he has done both a wholesale and retail trade. With the excep- tion of a period of eight years from the time of his marriage, which he spent as a resident of Boston, Mr. Learnard has resided continu- ously in Brighton since his birth; and he takes a warm interest in everything pertaining to the improvement of that section of Boston and the advancement of the moral and material welfare of its citizens. He is president of the Butchers' Slaughtering and Melting Association, the headquarters of which are in Brighton. For a

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number of years he has been a director of the Faneuil Hall National Bank, of Boston. His success in life is due solely to his own ability.

Mr. Learnard was married May 20, 1839, to Eunice Livermore, of Brighton, a daughter of Jonathan and Eunice (Claflin) Livermore. He and his wife have had three children, as follows: Mary Frances, born November 20, 1842, who married George W. Claflin, of New York City; Edward . Henry, born August 13, 1844, who died April 9, 1897; and George Smith, born February 9, 1855, who died June 24, 1872. Edward H. Learnard married Jan- uary 5, 1871, Susan Elizabeth Dearborn, of Brookline; and they had one child, Henry Heath, born November 13, 1871.

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Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1901, Part 40

Author: Publication date: 1901 Publisher: Boston, Graves & Steinbarger Number of Pages: 924

Author:
Publication date: 1901
Publisher: Boston, Graves & Steinbarger
Number of Pages: 924