Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1901, Part 50

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

USA > Massachusetts > Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1901 > Part 50

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Mr. Tuttle, a descendant in the eighth gen- eration of Richard Tuttle, who in 1635, at the age of forty-two years, arrived from England on the ship "Planter," accompanied by his wife, Anne, aged forty-one, his son John, and Isabel Tuttle, probably his mother, aged sev- enty years. He settled in Boston, and with his wife was admitted to the First Church. In November, 1638, he was chosen Constable of Boston. According to records dated March 31, 1636, Richard Tuttle had not improved his original allotment of land in compliance with the stipulated conditions; but among others he received large grants at Rumney Marsh (now Chelsea) and Pullen Point in 1638, and not long after he purchased of one Nicholas Willys a tract of forty-nine acres in the first- named locality. His death occurred in 1640.

His son John, who accompanied him from England on the "Planter," and located at Rumney Marsh, was married February 10, 1646-47, to Mary, daughter of Edward and Prudence (Stockton) Holyoke. Edward Tuttle, first, the next in line of descent, was born in Rumney Marsh, and was living there in 1723. The Christian name of his wife was Abigail. Their son, Edward Tuttle, second, who was born January 2, 1679-80, and was residing at Rumney Marsh in 1731, was married June 11, 1706, to Joanna Floyd, who was born Novem- ber 5, 1686, daughter of Hugh and Eleanor Floyd.

The second Edward's son, Benjamin, Thomas W. Tuttle's great-grandfather, married Mary Turrell, of Boston, May 6, 1747. Ile died in

August, 1775; and his wife died in June, 1783. Joseph Tuttle, Sr., son of Benjamin and Mary, witnessed the exciting scenes en- acted in and around Boston during the Revolu- tionary period. He died December, 1798. Information concerning his wife and family is not at hand.

Joseph Tuttle, Jr., second, Thomas W. Tut- tle's father, was a mason by trade, but relin- quished that occupation to engage in the hotel business at Dorchester; and his hostelry be- came a favorite place of entertainment for wealthy Boston people. He was widely known as a genial host, and was a prominent member of the Masonic order. He died at Savin Hill, November 30, 1870; and his wife Elizabeth, to whom he was married in Dorchester, by the Rev. T. M. Harris, July 4, 1813, dicd July 28, 1872, the golden anniversary being cele- brated in 1863. Mrs. Tuttle was born Febru- ary 23, 1793, daughter of Abraham and Lois Pierce. She became the mother of six chil- dren : Joseph Warren, who was born April 29, 1814, learned the engraver's trade, but later engaged in the hotel business, and died in Boston, June 29, 1885; Thomas W., the sub- ject of this sketch; Otis Pierce, who was born February 26, 1818, was an engraver by trade, and died at Savin Hill in May, 1879; Henry Hall, who was born February 17, 1820, and was a boot and shoe dealer in Boston, where he died July 19, 1883; Elizabeth Pierce, who was born January 19, 1822, and died Septem- ber 27 of the following year; and Charles Edward Tuttle, who was born November 22, 1825, and was a merchant in Boston, where his death occurred April 17, 1885.

Thomas Wells Tuttle acquired his educa- tion in the Dorchester schools. He obtained his business training in the merchant-tailoring establishment of a Mr. Call in Boston; and in 1837 he engaged in the same line of business for himself with his employer's son, John M. Call. Under the style of Call & Tuttle, the firm became one of the leading merchant- tailoring concerns in the New England metrop- olis, and carried on an extensive business for a period of fifty-one years, at the expiration of which time both partners retired with a sub- stantial competency. Although the major por-

JOSEPH H. GLEASON.

339

AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES

tion of his time was absorbed by his business affairs, Mr. Tuttle was extremely devoted to his home and family, in whose company he preferred to spend his leisure hours instead of cultivating club or society affiliations. The last ten years of his life were spent at his pleasant home in Dorchester, in comparative freedom from business cares; and his death occurred there January 23, 1898.

On September 12, 1838, Mr. Tuttle married for his first wife Miss Beulah Holden Sumner, of Dorchester, who died May 31, 1845, leaving two children : Anna Elizabeth, born June II, 1841; and William Sumner, who was born April 14, 1845, and died July 18 of the same year. She was a member of the First Parish Church. Anna Elizabeth was married Decem- ber 13, 1870, to Jonathan Edwards Wooster, of New York. Their children are : Gaylord, who was born in Dorchester, June 16, 1873, and died November 22 of that year; and Thomas Tuttle Wooster, whose birth took place in New York, December 21, 1875. Mr. Tuttle mar- ried February 10, 1850, Miss Martha Ann Barnes, who was born on Sudbury Street, Bos- ton, daughter of Joshua and Martha Ann (Turner) Barnes. The children of this union are: Thomas Edward, born May 21, 1852; and Lizzie Motley, born December 22, 1856. Lizzie Motley Tuttle married Henry Dana Hutchinson, and has five children, namely : Ethel, born January 18, 1881; Beulah, who was born October 8, 1882, and died April 6, 1883; Marjorie, born January 28, 1886; Paul Brigham, who was born December 1, 1892, and died November 22, 1896; and James Dana Hutchinson, second, born December 22, 1896.

Mrs. Thomas W. Tuttle, who is still living, resides upon a beautiful estate on Sumner Street, Dorchester, which is also the home of her son. She is a member of the parish of the First Church, as was also her husband.

"2Thomas Edward Tuttle was educated in Boston, and after the completion of his studies took a position in his father's store. He sub- sequently went to Chicago, and from there to the Pacific Coast, being absent in the West some ten years, the greater portion of which time he was interested in mining and real es- tate. Upon his return to Boston, he estab-

lished himself in the railway supply business. which he is still carrying on. His first wife, whom he married January 26, 1876, was Ade- laide Snow Merrill, born June 22, 1854. daughter of William B. and Mary Bradford (Dyer) Merrill. She died September 23. 1883, leaving one son, William Merrill Tuttle, born April 16, 1879. On October 12, IS98. Thomas Edward Tuttle married Mrs. Gertrude Winsor Aiken, who was born July 29, 186 ;. Mr. and Mrs. Tuttle have a daughter. Con- stance Winsor Tuttle, whose birth took place August 10, 1899.

OSEPH HARRISON GLEASON, a venerable and highly-esteemed resident of Reading, was born in Andover, Mass., July 6, 1814, being a son of Joseph Gleason and of Scotch ancestry. He is of patriotic stock, his grandfather, Benjamin Gleason, having been a Revolutionary soldier; while his great-grandfather, John Gleason. served in various expeditions against the French and Indians in the old Colonial days.

John Gleason was baptized in Brookline in 1720. During the French and Indian War he was in his Majesty's service as a member of John Clapham's company; and later he responded to the Lexington alarm, serving five days under Captain Walker. He settled in Woburn, his homestead being in the Second Precinet, in 1799 incorporated as Burlington. The children of John Gleason and his wife. Dorothy, were: Jonas, born in Woburn, Feb- ruary 6, 1747; Benjamin, grandfather of Jo- seph H. ; Thomas, born November 29, 1751, who married Abigail Johnson; Elizabeth, born November 23, 1753, who married Jonas Wyman; Susanna; and Joseph, who was bap- tized December 31, 1759.

Benjamin Gleason was born December 25, 1748, in Woburn, Mass., and for many years he resided in the adjoining town of Bedford. Belonging to the military company of Captain Caldwallar Ford, Jr., which was enlisted io: service March 9, 1775, and attached to Colonel Ebenezer Bridge's regiment, he marched from Wilmington in answer to the alarm call from Lexington on April 19, 1775, and served

AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES

eleven days. On April 29, 1775, he enlisted in Captain John Harnden's company, belong- ing to Colonel Ebenezer Bridge's regiment of foot, which consisted of three hundred and fifteen men, it being one of the three regiments that built the redoubt and manned it through the battle of Bunker Hill. In this regiment he served three months and ten days, his name appearing for advance pay in an order payable to himself, dated in camp at Cambridge, June 6, 1775. He married February 4, 1772, Deborah Beard, who was born October 31, 1749, a daughter of Jonathan and Deborah · Beard. They became the parents of the fol- lowing named children: Dolly, born Febru- ary 10, 1774; Joel, born in 1785; Jonathan ; Benjamin; Joseph; John ; and Jonas.

Joseph Gleason was born October 19, 1783, in Bedford, and died September 21, 1846, in Reading, whither he had removed in middle life from Andover, Mass. When a young man he served in the State artillery as Cap- tain of a company at Andover, being commis- sioned by Governor Caleb Strong, and during the War of 1812 took his company to South Boston. His wife, Lucy Bancroft, who was born October 26, 1783, in South Carolina, a daughter of Jonathan Bancroft, of Salem, Mass., died February 24, 1837. Of their union there were six children; namely, Gil- man C., John W., Joseph Harrison, Albert Bancroft, Lewis Eugene, and Edward S. Gil- man C., who was born November 5, 18og, and died in 1890, was married September 20, 1832, to Nancy Kingman. John W., born Decem- ber 6, 1811, married Valina Perkins. Albert Bancroft, now living in Reading, born Septem- ber 6, 1816, married at Wakefield, in 1841, Almira Jenkins. Lewis. Eugene, who was born March' IS, IS19, married first Philamelia Beers and second Nancy Perry. Edward S., of Reading, born November 4, 1821, married Eliza Nichols.

Joseph Harrison Gleason received his educa- tion in the district schools of his native town, Andover, and in Reading. At the age of ten years, being practically thrown upon his own resources, his parents having lost by indorse- ment, he came to Reading, where he worked on a farm for five years. He then entered the

shop of Henry Kingman, and served an ap- prenticeship of six years at the cabinet-maker's trade, in which he acquired proficiency. The ensuing seventeen years he was associated with Jonathan Frost, a dealer in dry goods and clocks, as clerk and salesman, the latter part of the time having the entire management of the establishment. In 1853 he went to New York City to carry on the furniture business for Henry W. Kingman; and after the death of Mr. Kingman in 1857 and the purchase ci the property by his brother, William P. King- man, Mr. Gleason continued to have entire charge of the business for nineteen years. Re- turning then to Massachusetts, Mr. Gleason resided for a few years in Malden, and in 1882 removed to Reading, where he is passing the closing years of his industrious and useful life. Always interested in the welfare of his town. he has served as Overseer of the Poor; and for one year, 1850, before he went to New York, he was a member of the Board of Selectmen.

Mr. Gleason was one of the petitioners of the Legislature in January, 1843, for the ex- tension of the Boston & Maine Railroad from Wilmington to Boston through Reading, the petition being answered by the granting of a charter for the location of the road over the present route. Of those whose names were signed to the petition, Mr. Gleason is now the only survivor. On December 1, 1843, he was one of the fifty citizens of Reading who signed the call for a meeting on the fourteenth of that month to consider the expediency of celebrat- ing the two hundredth anniversary of the in- corporation (May 29, 1844) of the town of Reading. The only other survivor of the fifty signers is Mr. Charles P. Howard, of North Reading.

On November 5, 1840, Mr. Gleason mar- ried Antoinette, daughter of Benjamin, Jr., and Hannah Bancroft (Weston) Pratt, of Read- ing. Mr. and Mrs. Gleason have no children. Benjamin Pratt, Jr., Mrs. Gleason's father, was of the seventh generation in descent from John Pratt, of Dorchester (freeman 1634), the line being : John,' John,2 John,3 Samuel, + Ephraim,s Benjamin,6 Benjamin, Jr.7 The third John Pratt, born about 1665 in Med- field, Mass., is said to have settled in the old

391

AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES

town of Reading, in what is now Wakefield, in 1693 or near that date, his homestead on the east side of the lake eventually becoming the Lucius Beebe estate. Samuel Pratt settled in the West Parish of Reading, now Reading; and there also lived and died the two Benja- mins above named.

RC ICHARD EDWIN CONGDON, the leading druggist of Nantucket, is a native of Rhode Island. He was born May 16, 1849, at East Green- wich, his parents being Albert James and Abby (Reynolds) Congdon. His first ances- tors in this country, who were early colonists, were of Welsh origin. His paternal grand- father, James Congdon, who was born in North Kingston, R. I., was a farmer by occupation and a lifelong resident of his native State.

Albert J. Congdon, son of James, was born in North Kingston, R. I. In early manhood he engaged in the drug business at East Green- wich; and this business he subsequently car- ried on until his retirement at the age of fifty- five years, when he turned it over to his sons. Hc now lives retired in East Greenwich, R. I. His wife, in maidenhood Abby Reynolds, died about 1876. She reared two children - Rich- ard Edwin and Charles Henry, the latter now a resident of East Greenwich, R. I.

Richard Edwin Congdon received his ele- mentary education in the public schools of East Greenwich, and pursued more advanced studies at the seminary there, and also at the Friends' Boarding School in Providence. When his school days were over, he entered the Rhode Island Locomotive Works as an apprentice to the machinist's trade, and served four years, after which he followed the trade as a journeyman for one year. Then, return- ing home, he was in his father's employ as clerk till 1873. In that year, his father retir- ing, he and his brother succeeded to the busi- ness, which they carried on together for three years. On account of ill health Richard then withdrew from the firm, and took up his resi- dence upon a farmi at Hopedale, where he re- mained for one year. His health having improved, he came to Nantucket, and entered

the employ of Drs. Pitman and Ellis as clerk in their drug store. Subsequently, upon the death of Dr. Ellis, he purchased that gentle- man's interest in the business, the firm then becoming Pitman & Congdon. About a year and a half later Mr. Congdon purchased the interest of Dr. Pitman, and has since con- ducted the business alone. He is a member of Union Lodge, F. & A. M. ; Isle of the Sea Chapter, R. A. M. ; Nantucket Lodge, No. 66. I. O. O. F; and of Wanackmamock Encamp- ment and Island Home Lodge, K. of H.

Mr. Congdon was married in January, 18;2. to Miss Jeannette Whipple Chapman, a native of Mystic, Conn., and a daughter of Nathan and Hepsabeth (Whipple) Chapman. Mr. and Mrs. Congdon are the parents of five children --- Charles Everett, Frank Edwin, Abbie Rey- nolds, Marion, and Nettie. The mother and children attend the Unitarian church.

TEPHEN CAREY LUCE, a pros- perous grocer of Vineyard Haven. Dukes County, was born at this place on September 22, 1854, son of Ellsworth Allen and Margaret Merry (Smith) Luce. He is a lineal descendant ci Henry Luce, a native of England, who came to America in the seventeenth century, and settled in Tisbury, on the island of Martha's Vineyard. The representative of the second generation in this line was Experience Luce. son of Henry.

Richard Luce, grandfather of Stephen C .. was born in the town of Tisbury. Ellsworth Allen Luce, son of Richard, was born in Vine- yard Haven in 1825, and was brought up and educated in his native village. In his youth he began a seafaring life; and, exerting him- self to become proficient in his calling, he rose through the different grades of the merchant marine service to that of master, and com- manded successively several different vessels. He was lost at sea in 1863 at the age of thirty-eight years. The maiden name of his wife, mother of the subject of this sketch, was Margaret Merry Smith. She was born on Martha's Vineyard in 1827. Her parents. James and Julia A. (Merry) Smith, both lived

392

AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES

to an advanced age. Her father, who was born at Vineyard Haven, was a mariner. Her mother was born on Martha's Vineyard. Mrs. Luce died at the age of sixty-nine. She was the mother of two children - Stephen Carey and Mary Dunham. The latter died at the age of seven years.

Stephen Carey Luce was educated in the schools of Vineyard Haven. At the age of fifteen years he became a clerk in the store of Captain Otis Foss, with whom he remained for four years. He then went to New York City, where for two years he was employed as clerk in a commission house. In 1877 he en- gaged in the grocery business on his own account at Vineyard Haven, and continued to carry it on with good success until ISS3, when the store which he rented was destroyed by fire and his stock consumed. Mr. Luce then purchased a piece of land and erected thereon the building he now occupies. His business subsequently increased to such an ex- tent that in 1896 he found it necessary to en- large the building. In his present ample store he carries a large stock of staple and fancy groceries, which he arranges in a convenient and attractive manner ; and, as his patrons are always sure of meeting with courteous treat- ment and prompt and efficient service, he has an extensive trade.

Mr. Luce was married on December 14, 1879, to Mary Johanna Buckley, a native of Vineyard Haven and a daughter of William and Sarah A. (Luce) Buckley, her parents also being natives of the island. He has one child, Stephen Carey Luce, Jr. Mr. Luce is a member of Martha's Vineyard Lodge, F. & A. M. He has a wide circle of friends, and is one of the best known and most popular citizens of Martha's Vineyard.

UEL CASS WINN, who is a native and present resident of Nantucket, was born July 4, 1846, son of John and Roxana (Cass) Winn. His pa- ternal grandfather, Suel (or Sewall) Winn, Sr., was born on July 19, 1789, in Burlington, then a part of Woburn, Middlesex County,

Mass. He was a son of Jeremiah Winn and a descendant of Edward Winn, one of the early settlers of Woburn (1641) and founder of the Winn family in New England. The line was: Edward,' Increase, 2 Jacob, 3 Joshua, + Jeremiah, Suel 6 (or Sewall). (See Woburn Record cf Births, printed in 1890, page 278, note. ) Suel 6 Winn conducted business as a butcher and provision dealer in South Reading for many years. He was also a Major in the State militia. He met a sudden and violent death. being killed by the cars at a railroad crossing on September 16, 1851. His wife, in maiden- hood Lydia Whittemore, was born November 30, 1787, in West Cambridge, now Arlington. Mass., where her father kept a tavern. She died August 31, 1879, in the ninety-second year of her age, having reared nine children - Lydia, John, Suel, Jr., Henry, William. Stephen, George, Eliza, and Harriet.

John Winn, father of Suel Cass, was born at South Reading (now Wakefield). Mass., in the month of October, 1811. In 1841, at the age of thirty years, he came to Nantucket and engaged in business as a butcher and provision dealer, which occupation he followed till 1864. During a part or most of this time, and later until 1870, he also carried on an ice business. and was besides engaged in farming, owning several hundred acres of land on different parts of the island. He it was who in 1865 first opened the Sherburne House to the public. naming it the Adams House, and managing i: until 1872. In that year he sold the property and removed to Union Street, where he resided for the remainder of his life, passing away Oc- tober 5, 1896. He had been very successful in his business career, and at the time of his death was one of the largest real estate owners on the island. His wife, Roxana, who was born in Canaan, N. H., daughter of Nathan and Sarah Cass, and who was brought up in Concord, Mass., died February 26, 1870. She had reared four children - Harriet Parker, Suel Cass, Sarah Cass, and Lewis Cass. Har- riet is the widow of George H. Butler, of Ros- ton, and now resides at Northampton, Mass. Sarah C. is assistant principal of the Gaston Grammar School in South Boston. Lewis C. is an invalid.

ALBERT H. KELSEY.

AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES

395

Suel Cass Winn in 1875, at the age of twenty-nine, went to Arizona, where he re- mained for fourteen years engaged in prospect- ing and mining. Subsequently he spent some time in the provision business at the Union Market, Boston. In 1894 he returned to Nan- tucket in order to care for his father. Upon his father's death he was appointed administra- tor of the estate, and has since devoted his time to the duties of that position. Mr. Winn is unmarried.

LBERT HANNIBAL KELSEY, a resident of Cambridge, well known both in that city and Boston as a prominent and successful business man, having been connected during his long and active career with extensive building oper- ations in various places throughout New Eng- land, was born in Shirley, Middlesex County, Mass., October 30, 1811, a son of Daniel and Sarah (Ordway) Kelsey.

The first ancestor of the Kelsey family in New England was William Kelsey, who came to America probably in the year 1630, as he settled at Cambridge as early as 1632. In 1636 the Rev. Thomas Hooker, the first min- ister of Cambridge, removed with his congre- gation - consisting of one hundred souls - to the banks of the Connecticut River, and set- tled at what is now the city of Hartford. William Kelsey, who was one of his followers, was then a comparatively young man, with a wife, one son, and perhaps other children. He had two sons and one daughter born at Hart- ford, and perhaps more. In 1663 he removed from Hartford to Killingworth, where he died.

From this early ancestor, in all probability, was descended John Kelsey, the great-grand- father of the subject of this sketch. John Kelsey was a resident of Harvard, Mass., in the early part of the eighteenth century. Some time before the outbreak of the Revolutionary War he settled in Shirley, and in 1747 was one of the petitioners that the town might be separated from Groton. His death took place in Shirley, March 1, 1780. His wife, whose name in maidenhood was Martha McFarland,

died January 22, 1774. They had three chil- dren - John, Jr., Martha, and Betsey.

John Kelsey, son of John and Martha Kel- sey, was born at Shirley, Mass., June 3, 1743, and died in that town, November 3, 1822, at the age of seventy-nine years. He was a man of more than average intelligence and educa- tion, and was prominent among his fellow- townsmen, by whom his services were in fre- quent demand for the preparation of legal instruments, such as wills and deeds, there being comparatively few persons in those days capable of correctly executing such work. He was also much respected for the worth of his personal character, in which he exemplified the teachings of his Divine Master. He took a regular part in the ordinances of religion, and gave freely of his time and means to charitable purposes. He was one of the Selectmen of the town in 1786, and was Town Clerk in 1784 and 1786. At one time he commanded the town militia, from which he received a mili- tary title; and his physical bearing was such as might have recommended him for advance- ment, had he chosen to adopt a military life. He was a volunteer in Captain Haskell's Com- pany raised on the alarm of April 19, 1775, serving with the rank of Corporal. He also acted as Sergeant in Captain Longley's Com- pany during a service of eight months in the same year. He married, August 29, 1770, Molly Park, of Groton. She died January 24, 1825. They had eleven children, of whom the third child and second son was Daniel, father of Albert H.

Daniel Kelsey was born at Shirley, Mass., February 15, 1774, and died July 26, 1821. He married in 1810 Sarah Ordway, a daugh- ter of Aaron Ordway, of Fitchburg, Mass. She died May 31, 1847, having been the mother of three children - Albert Hannibal, Artemas, and Aaron. Artemas, born in Shirley, Octo- ber 15, 1813, died January 8, 1893; Aaron, born in Shirley, March 5, 1816, died August 16, 1855.

Albert H. Kelsey resided in Shirley, and at- tended the public schools of that town until reaching the age of nine years. He then went to Fitchburg, Mass., where he completed his education, and afterward began an apprentice-

396

AMERICAN SERIES OF POPULAR BIOGRAPHIES

ship to the trade of carpenter. This was com- pleted in Boston by the time he had reached his majority, and he subsequently followed his trade in that city as a journeyman. In 1836 and 1837 Mr. Kelsey took charge of the con- struction of the buildings of the Boston & Worcester Railroad, and built in Boston the first permanent passenger station in the United States. A partnership which he formed with Ezekiel Bates, under the firm name of Bates & Kelsey, as carpenters and builders, was continued for fourteen years. During that time they built up an extensive business, and gained an enviable reputation as reliable con- tractors. Among the important buildings which they erected may be mentioned Streeter's Church, corner of Bennett and Hanover Street, Boston, and the Maverick Square Church in East Boston. They remodelled the old Court House on School Street into the first City Hall. This was under Mayor Chapman's ad- ministration. They also built a church on the site of the present Music Hall on Winter Street ; and they built for the Cruft estate the first block (consisting of five stores and known as Cruft's Block) erected and used for mer- cantile purposes on Pearl Street, it being at that time a residential street. These build- ings were destroyed in the great fire of 1872, and the present buildings on the same site were subsequently erected for the Cruft estate by Mr. Kelsey.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Biographical sketches of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1901, Part 50

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

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