USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Boxborough > Boxborough: a New England town and its people > Part 12
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John Hoar married Betsey Barker, of Acton, for his second wife, and they were the parents of five children : Cephas, born Aug. 17, 1822, Forestus, born Feb. 6, 1831, John Sherman, bom June 19, 1829, Louisa, born Dec. 8, 1823, and one who died in infancy. Cephas married for his first wife, Caroline, youngest daughter of Lyman and Jane Bigelow, and for the second, Mary, daughter of Capt. Thomas Lawrence, of West Acton. He is now living in Norwood, Mass. Forestus married Catherine Gilmore, and resides in West Acton. John Sherman married Lydia Whitney, sister of Jerome Whitney, of Leominster, and reared a family of six or seven children.
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He died several years ago, and his widow is a resident of West Acton. One daughter, Alice, is a teacher in that town. Three of the sons went West and engaged in business as builders and contractors, and another, John Hoar of West Acton, is an architect.
Louisa Hoar married Jerome Priest, of Boxborough, Apr. 20. 1843. and they had three children, Leon A., Carrie L., and Mabel Barker. Leon A. married Clara Louisa Hartshorn, Nov. 21, 1866, and is living in Seattle, Washington. Carrie L. married Herman Shepard, Mar. 23, 1871. They were the parents of two children, Leon, who died Mar. 22, 1876, aged + years, 1 month, 10 days, and Clare, who died Sept. 3, 1873, aged 3 months, 19 days. Mrs. Shepard died July 31, 1875, aged 22 years, 8 months, 18 days, and with her two children is laid in the beautiful family lot in the hill cemetery. Mabel B. Priest is a teacher,- at the present time in Stow. She is a gifted musician. Mrs. Priest is sixty-nine years of age. but is as active, and energetic, and interested in all public or private matters of moment as many a younger person.
Mr. Priest has a very retentive memory, and can relate many things with regard to the infant town and its people, with entire accuracy. This family is also connected with the Wetherbee family, as Mr. Priest's mother was Sally Wetherbee, Mr. Simeon Wetherbee's daughter.
Mr. John Hoar was usher at the time the Universalist church was dedicated in 1836. He died June 18, 1872. aged eighty-one, and is buried in the cemetery at Littleton.
WILLIAM S. HOUGHTON.
Mr. William Stevens Houghton, of the firm of Fogg, Houghton. and Coolidge, Boston, was born in this town, June 20, 1816, and lived here until he was ten or twelve years of age. He is a son of Captain Reuben, and Elizabeth (Mead) Houghton, and was reared on the farm recently occupied by Wm. J. Hayden at the centre of the town. His parents and a brother are buried in the cemetery on the hill, where he has recently laid out and enclosed a beautiful lot. There is neither
JACOB LITTLEFIELD.
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William S. Houghton.
marble monument nor slab within this quiet enclosure, the lot being surrounded with a finely finished granite curbing on which the names are inscribed. When questioned with regard to the absence of monuments, he said, "It is presumption to raise a monument to man." He lived with his parents in Littleton for a few years, but went to Boston when about six- teen years of age, where he afterwards became connected with a large, wholesale leather firm, which was running, at one time, two manufactories. His father carried on business as a merchant at both Littleton Common and Littleton Centre, at different times.
Mr. William S. Houghton is a very liberal man. giving generously of his wealth wherever he sees an opportunity for doing good. At the time he was in town attending to the cemetery lot, he was taken by his cousin, Mr. B. S. Mead. through the Congregational church, which was then being repaired. Mr. Houghton asked Mr. Mead if there was any- thing they wanted, and afterwards contributed the organ as his share. He did not want anything said about it, and for a long time no one knew from whence the gift came, except those most intimately connected with the transaction, but just as surely as a person's sins will " find him out " so also will his good deeds. Mr. Houghton was the donor of the Reuben Hoar Library building in Littleton. It is said that Mr. Reuben Hoar, formerly of Littleton, once saved Mr. Wm. S. Houghton's father from financial embarrassment, and in gratitude for that service, the son gave the Library building,-to be called by the name of his father's benefactor, "The Reuben Hoar Library,"- at the cost of $10,000, on condition that the town of Littleton should raise a like amount, which it succeeded in doing. Both Mr. Houghton, and his wife, who is now dead. were trustees of Wellesley College, and were active in religious work, Mrs. Houghton having been at one time one of Mr. Moody's assistants.
JACOB LITTLEFIELD.
Jacob Littlefield, of Boxborough, was a direct descendant of Stephen Littlefield, who founded the town of Wells, Maine,
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and was born in that place. June 10, 1808, on the farm where his father and grandfather had lived before him. The home- stead. although now gone out of the family, remained in possession of the Littlefields for many generations. An inter- esting anecdote is related of the grandfather of Jacob Little- field, who was one of the first settlers of Wells, Maine, which illustrates, somewhat, the unsettled state of the country in those early times. He, with his family, lived in a log house, as was customary in those days, and depended for their safety upon his trusty rifle, and a brave, powerful, and sagacious dog. Look- ing through the chinks in the loosely built walls of his dwell- ing one night, he discovered a small party of Indians, a dozen or more, engaged in peering about to discover the best mode of ingress to his home, that they might slaughter himself and family. He waited, watched, and allowed them to work until he decided they were quite near enough to effecting their purpose, and then quickly and quietly opening the door a little way, he let out the eager, powerful dog. At the first onset of the canine brute, the Indians fled precipitately, and nothing more was heard of them that night; but the next morning, small pieces of Indian blankets were discovered and picked up, all along their trail for quite a distance, where the brave dog had dropped them as he followed and worried first one and then another of the party. Some little time after this, a few apparently peaceable Indians, having occasion to pass Mr. Littlefield's house, and seeing the famous dog, cried out, " Here, you, Littlefield, take care of that dog ; if it had n't been for him, we should have had your scalp that night." And the family concluded that they were of the party, previously so successfully punished for their temerity by that same dog. Jacob Littlefield's father, whose name was also Stephen, died when quite young, and his son Jacob removed to Mass., residing in some of the lower towns at first, and coming to Boxborough when he was nineteen years of age. He worked several years for Samuel Hayward, Esq., on the place now owned and occupied by Steele Brothers, and seven years at one time for Joseph Blanchard, Esq., on the place now owned by
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Jacob Littlefield.
Steele Brothers, where the buildings were recently burned. Nov. 28, 1833, he married Nancy, daughter of Capt. Oliver Taylor, of Boxborough, and they resided with his wife's family on the Varnum Taylor farm until his death, only two years afterwards. They had one son, Sheldon, who is now a resident of California, and a prominent man upon the Pacific slope. He is quite wealthy, and has been for some years a member of the Legislature of that State. He visited his father and his native town about fourteen years ago, a year before his father's death.
Mr. Littlefield married his second wife, Ann Brooks Ray- mond, of Boxborough, June 10, 1838. She was the eldest of the four children of Nathan and Betsey (Cobleigh) Raymond, who formerly occupied the Nelson place where Mr. Raymond's father resided before him. Nathan Raymond married Hannah Hapgood for his second wife, and they had two sons, Ephraim, and M. Morton, to whom allusion has been made in connection with the Blanchard and Wetherbee families. Mr. and Mrs. Littlefield, immediately after their marriage, went to Wells, Maine, where they remained five years, engaged in farming, during which time their oldest son, Waldo, was born. When he was two years of age, they returned to Boxborough and settled on the Edmund Fletcher farm, now better known as the Littlefield homestead. They had seven children, Waldo, Nahum, Charlotte,- who died at the age of sixteen years, and is laid beside her father in the cemetery on the hill,- Hanson, Susan, Albert, and Julia, all of whom, except Waldo, were born in Boxborough. All are settled in the village of West Acton except Albert. Mrs. Littlefield, who is seventy-six years of age, also resides in that village, and her daughter Susan remains with her. Waldo married Nellie Witherell, of Wood- stock, Conn., and is engaged as a carriage manufacturer. Nahum married Adelaide Hayward, and is settled on a farm near the village. Hanson married Florence Preston, and is in the grocery business ; and Julia married Willis L. Mead, a painter of West Acton.
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Mr. Jacob Littlefield was one of the best farmers in town. He very much improved the farm he made his home, having erected all of the buildings that are now on it, and having planted nearly all of the fruit trees. He was a public-spirited man of energy and determination, and while he did not succeed in amassing great wealth, he secured a comfortable competence. He was connected with town business as selectman, assessor. and overseer of the poor, for seven years. He died Mar. 1, 1879, aged 70 years, 8 months, 21 days.
ALBERT LITTLEFIELD.
Albert Littlefield, son of Jacob and Ann B. (Raymond) Littlefield, was born in Boxborough, May 8, 1856. His early education, which was received in our district schools, was supplemented by several terms at Lathrop's Latin and English school, Waltham. He married Miss Jennie A. Heminway, Dec. 30, 1884, daughter of Charles A. and Carrie (Adams) Heminway, of Framingham, and is settled on the farm of his father, in Boxborough. They have two sons, Charles A. and Earle R.
Mr. Littlefield is serving the town for the eighth year as selectman,- as chairman of the board the present year,- is one of the overseers of the poor, also on the board of assessors, and chairman of the library trustees. He was an active worker as Master of the Grange for four consecutive years, and is now lecturer of that organization ; he is also a member of the Odd Fellows' lodge at West Acton. He was interested in the Lyceum while it existed, having acted as its president, and is always active in all matters pertaining to the welfare of the town.
ALBERT LITTLEFIELD.
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CHAPTER XII.
THE MEAD FAMILY -WM. MOORE - JOSEPH H. ORENDORFF
PAGE FAMILY - PATCH FAMILY - AMASA A. RICHARD- SON - DR. ROBINS. -
THE MEAD FAMILY.
THE ancestors of the first Mead families connected with Box- borough settled in Harvard. Deacon Oliver Mead, who was living here in 1783, and Anna, his wife, were the parents of ten children,- Sarah, Lucy, Anna, Oliver, Jr., Abraham, Elizabeth, Nabby W., Samuel, Hannah (who died when eight years old) and Nathaniel. Sarah, born Dec. 19, 1778, married Levi Houghton, of Harvard. Lucy was unmarried. Anna married William Stevens, father of Oliver Stevens,* of Box- borough. Oliver, Jr., married Betsey Taylor, who was an aunt of the late Capt. Varnum Taylor, and was brought up on the Taylor place. Abraham married a Kimball, from Littleton, Elizabeth married Reuben Houghton, of Harvard, brother of Levi, and after her death her husband married the next younger daughter of the family, Nabby W. Samuel married three times .- Betsey Stevens and Mary Stevens, of Box- borough, and Lucinda Conant, of Harvard. Nathaniel married Lucy Taylor.
Oliver, Jr., and Betsey, his wife, buried several children. There are seven living : Betsey, Sally, Oliver, Lyman, Emory, Walter and Anna. Betsey, born Nov. 10, 1815, married Peter Whitcomb, and settled in town. Sally married George Hager,
* Mr. Oliver Stevens, the son of William Stevens, is still living on the old Stevens estate, in the southwest part of the town. William Stevens was school committee and selectman quite a long time.
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settled in Boxborough, and afterwards removed to West Acton, where they still reside. Oliver married Caroline Wetherbee, and settled in town ; their only living child, Sadie A. B .. married Alfred Brown and resides at home. Lyman married Melissa Willis, of Harvard, and they have two children, Lyman Willis and Emma ; Willis married Julia Littlefield, of Box- borough : Emma married Frank Priest, of Harvard, and they are both living at West Acton. Emory married Eliza Clement, of Vermont, and settled in town ; their only living child. Frances Annie, married Philip Cunningham, and they are settled on the old Stone place. They have four children, Bernice, Stella, Wallace Emory, and Leo. Walter married Eliza Jane Chandler, of Maine, and is living on the Mead estate, where his father and grandfather lived before him ; they have three children : two sons - the firm of Charles H. Mead and Co .- are engaged in business at West Acton, and the only daughter, Blanche, is at home. Charles H. married Jennie Bruce, and they reside at West Aeton. Anna married William Moore, and their home is the Bigelow homestead at the centre of the town.
Samuel, who married Betsey Stevens, settled on the estate now owned by Mr. Charles Brown. They had three children ; Mrs. Elizabeth Ives, of Natick ; Franklin, who married Miss Nancy Morse, of Mason, and died in Lunenburg; and Ben- jamin Stevens.
BENJAMIN STEVENS MEAD.
The subject of this sketch was born in Boxborough, on the Samuel Mead farm. July 2, 1823, and remained there engaged in farming until he was twenty-one years of age. The follow- ing autumn he went to Natick and learned the shoemaker's trade, but after remaining a year and a half, failing health led him to return to Boxborough, where he followed farming in summer and his trade in the winter season until ill-health again necessitated a change, when he went to Littleton and engaged in farming for eight months for Rev. William H. White. Sept. 19, 1847, he married Rebecca Louisa Burgess, of
BENJAMIN S. MEAD.
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The Mead Family.
Harvard. After his marriage he removed to Natick and engaged himself at his trade for a short time, but finding that farm life was better suited to his health, he soon returned and settled at the old homestead, where he remained until 1881, when he purchased the Reuben Draper place, which he now owns and occupies. Mr. and Mrs. Mead have two children : Edgar C., who married Lucie H. Hayward, and is living in Boxborough, and Minnie L., who married George F. Kings- bury, and resides at Ayer. Mr. Mead held the office of assessor and overseer of the poor, and was selectman for twelve years during the years 1864-84.
Samuel and Mary (Stevens), his second wife, had only one child, Samuel, who died at the West.
Samuel and Lucinda (Conant) Mead were the parents of six children : Lucinda, who married David Howe, of Maine ; Albert, who married Alwilda B. Crocker, of Maine ; Alfred, who married Hannah Maria Miles, of Stow; Abby, who is unmarried ; Anna, who married Charles Harding, and lived only a few years after her marriage; and Mary, who died young. Lucinda, Albert, Alfred and Abby, all reside in Natick. Albert Mead has been an extensive shoe manufacturer, and has acquired a large property, but has now retired from the business and is living upon a farm. He had the honor of representing his town in the Legislature three years ago.
Nathaniel and Lucy (Taylor), his wife, settled on the estate now owned by Mr. Frank Whitcomb. They had eight children : Nathaniel (who had his name changed to Adelbert), Oliver W., born Oct. 19, 1823, Sarah, Maria, Mary, Anna, Varnum and Frances Adelaide. Adelbert married Almira Hoar, of Littleton, and resides at West Acton. Their only living child, Estella, married David Cutler, and is living in her father's home. They have five children : Etta, Ethel, Emma, Adelbert and Azelia. Mr. Cutler is engaged most of the time in Florida, where Mr. Adelbert Mead owns an orange grove. Oliver W. married three times: May 22, 1851, he married Mary E., daughter of Daniel Hartwell, of Harvard. They had four children, Warren H., born Dec. 18, 1853,
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married Lizzie Blandon, December, 1877, died Jan. 29, 1879. Julian A., Emma A., and Nelson A., who died in infancy. Julian A., born Apr. 15, 1856. married Mary D. Emerson, Dec. 12, 1889, and settled in Watertown, where he is a noted physician. Dec. 24, 1881, Emma A. became the wife of Geo. Sumner Wright, son of Mr. Geo. C. Wright. Oliver W. Mead married for his second wife, Aug. 22, 1867, Susan A. Morrill, with whom he lived only a few months. Jan. 19, 1869, he married Lucy M. Emery, of Jaffrey. N. H. They have two sons, Hobart E., born July 4, 1870, and Louis Guy, born Oet. 3, 1873. The younger son, Guy, is fitted for college, and expects to enter on a college course, if his health will admit of it. Both sons reside at home in West Acton. Sarah Mead married Mr. Low, of Fitchburg, and they had twelve children. After her death her husband married again, and they were the parents of five more, making a family of seventeen children. Maria married Andrew Patch, of Littleton, and went to Harvard ; of their four children only two are living. Mr. Patch died about twelve years ago, and about three years ago his widow went to Charlestown to reside with her son. Mary married John J. Lothrop, and lived in California until the death of her husband, a period of over thirty years ; they had no children. Mrs. Lothrop is now living at West Acton. Anna married Charles Twitchell, of Fitchburg, and they are now living at West Acton. They have one son, Clarence, who resides at home. Varnum B. married Martha A. Keyes for his first wife, and for the second, Direxa E. Mead. He has three children by his second wife : George V., Fred S. and Adelbert F.
Adelbert, Oliver W. and Varnum Mead, carry on a large business at 35 North Market, and 35 Clinton Streets, Boston, under the firm name of A. and O. W. Mead and Co. I quote the following from " Our Grange Homes ": "The location is considered one of the best in the city. They have cold storage capacity of 1,000 tons at West Acton, and they built the first large cold storage house in Massachusetts for holding commission goods. On the Boston premises is every necessary
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The Mead Family.
appliance for the expeditious and efficient handling of all goods included in the commission trade, the utmost efficiency thus being secured.
" The ample opportunities given by the long period this house has been established have been well improved : a steady reputation has thus been acquired. The specialties are butter, poultry, eggs, cheese, fruits, etc., selling to all classes of customers. Two-thirds of the business comes from the West and Provinces.
" The business was established in 1844, known as A. and O. W. Mead, taking its present title in September, 1866, by which date it will be seen that this is, with a few exceptions, the oldest produce commission house in Boston.
" The early life of Adelbert was passed in agricultural pursuits. Young Mead was apprenticed to a shoemaker and learned the trade. In 1841 he began to sell shoes in Boston, and it became convenient to his neighbors and those along the route from Boxborough to entrust goods to him for sale on commission, and thus the present business was eventually established. he taking as his partner his brother, Oliver W. Mead. They at first had a large wagon, with a stand outside Quincy Market, and the business was conducted at the Market for nine years. It was then removed to 50 North Market Street, and to the present site in 1866. Mr. Mead is well known to the merchants as a man of unimpeachable character and high aims, and he owes his success in life to his pluck, push and ability. He has done his part by liberal and honor- able methods to place the house in its present position in the trade. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and, with Mr. O. W. Mead, also is a member of the Fruit Exchange. He is interested with his brothers in railroads, and also in live- stock in Wyoming.
" Mr. O. W. Mead conducted the farm until twenty-one years of age, and at an early age he evinced pleasure in intel- lectual pursuits, and on reaching his majority taught school until twenty-three years of age in Lunenburg and Littleton. He then connected himself with his brother in the present
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business. He is a first-class business man in every sense of the word, and has always manifested marked financial ability. As an executive he possesses great power, and has carried system as near perfection as can be obtainable. He has been called upon to fill positions of trust, and is director in the First National Bank of Ayer, and trustee in the North Middlesex Savings Bank of the same town. He was also a director in the Chamber of Commerce, and was one of the charter members of the Produce Exchange.
" Mr. Varnum B. Mead was born on the farm ; his life has been varied. When nineteen years old he went to the Sand- wich Islands, where he remained five years ; he then had a valuable business experience in Fitchburg, Montreal and Acton, shipping from Montreal and Acton to Boston, and mainly to his brothers. He came to this city in 1866, and was one year on salary in his brother's firm, and in 1867 was admitted to partnership. He has a large cirele of warm personal friends. Among other positions of trust. he is president of the Franklin and Megantie Railroad, of Maine."
WILLIAM MOORE.
Mr. William Moore, of Boxborough, is the son of William (1782-1836) and Sally (Hosmer) Moore (1793-1876), formerly of the part of Sudbury now called Wayland, and was born in that town, Feb. 23, 1818. His great-grandfather Loring was a minister, and one of his great-uncles, Timothy Moore, was waiter to General Nixon at one time, and afterwards married the general's daughter. His grandfather, on his mother's side, was Samuel Hosmer. Both his grandfather Moore and grand- father Hosmer, served throughout the Revolutionary war. Mr. Hosmer was only sixteen years of age when he entered the service. He was wounded at one time, having had a ball put through his arm, but his life was preserved. His grandfather, William Moore, in later years was accustomed to relate to his grandchildren many an incident or exploit of those Revolu_ tionary days. Indeed, so much were these tales enjoyed by the
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William Moore.
younger generation that it used to be a daily subject of con- troversy as to which of his grandsons should share his room at night and so obtain the privilege of listening to those exciting narrations. We give one or two of these incidents as related by his descendants. Wearied with marching, and being scantily supplied with rations upon one occasion, grandfather Moore, with several other soldiers, called at a house, - evidently inhabited by a tory,- and asked for something to eat. They would have paid for it, and were willing to do so, but the request was denied by the lady of the house. They determined, however, to have food before going farther, so, as the oven or bakehouse was built outside the main dwelling, they waited, watched their opportunity and took from it a well-browned baking of pies, with which they satisfied their hunger. At another time, just after a battle, as Mr. Moore was passing along the battle-field, he came across a British soldier who was severely wounded, and in extreme agony. "I will give you my gold watch if you will only put an end to my life," said the loyalist to the patriot soldier. "No," said Mr. Moore, "I cannot do that ; you must keep your watch." He would not strike a fallen enemy.
Mr. William Moore, the grandson, came to this town about fourteen years ago. He married Miss Harriet Willard, daughter of Ithamar Willard, of Harvard, for his first wife, and four children were born to them, Seraphina, Francis W., Arianna and Albert G. Francis W. died in the War of the Rebellion ; Albert G. is married, and with his wife and family resides in Stow. The oldest daughter, Seraphina, married Mr. Augus- tine Whitcomb, of Boxborough, and died Nov. 25, 1881, aged 41 years, 1 month, 25 days. Arianna married Mr. Frank Lund, and is living in Lowell. They have two daughters, Carrie A., and Hattie, both occupying responsible positions in that city. Mrs. Moore died Jan. 1, 1879, and is buried in Stow. Mr. Moore afterwards married Miss Anna Mead, of Boxborough, a most estimable lady, kind-hearted and ever ready to help, with word, act, or sympathy.
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