USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Millbury > Centennial history of the town of Millbury, Massachusetts, including vital statistics, 1850-1899 > Part 31
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THE HONORABLE HENRY CLAY HALL
The Hon. Henry Clay Hall served for nearly thirty consecutive years in the diplomatic service of the United States in Cuba and Central America, serving under eight Presidents, from Buchanan to Cleveland, a record that is believed to be without parallel in the history of the diplomatic service of the country. Much of his work was rendered during critical and important times in the his- tory of the nation. He was in Havana, Cuba, as consul-general during the exciting years of the Civil War, where his life was in great danger, but he remained at his post of duty to the end. His
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conduct of the affairs of his office at that time attracted wide atten- tion and won for him the esteem of the President and other officials of the government. He became interested in the Nicaragua Canal, and drafted the original treaty for its building. In 1882, Mr. Hall received from President Arthur a commission as Envoy Extraor- dinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the five Central American states, and continued his residence at Guatamala until 1889. The last years of Mr. Hall's life were spent in Millbury where he was greatly respected. He died here Oct. 29, 1901.
In 1856 Mr. Hall married Miss Leila Echeverria who was born in Cuba, but who spent her early girlhood at the home of Mr. Ebenezer Waters Goffe, at the Old Common, Millbury, in com- pany with her life-long friend, Mrs. Elizabeth Goffe Peirce. Mrs. Hall's youth, however, was spent on the plantation of her family in Cuba where she was reared amid the advantages of wealth and luxury. After her marriage to Mr. Hall in this coun- try she lived at Havana amid the society of the diplomatic corps and American residents. She was a close student of her husband's duties and sympathetically supported him in his tasks.
Mrs. Hall was an artist of some merit and painted in oil colors several Cuban scenes with unusual appreciation of local coloring. She was also well-known for her exquisite needle-work.
After Mr. Hall's death Mrs. Hall continued to reside in Millbury, having as her companion the friend of her early girlhood, Mrs. Elizabeth W. Peirce, widow of the Rev. Charles H. Peirce.
Mrs. Hall died in 1915.
THOMAS J. HARRINGTON
Thomas J., son of Noah Harrington, was born at Worcester, Mass., in 1804. His education was received in his native city but, in 1826, he came to Millbury where he was employed at the armory of Asa Waters. In 1845, in company with Asa H. Waters and Benj. Flagg, he built the Millbury Cotton Mills. In 1847 he sold an interest which he had in a woolen company.
Mr. Harrington was highly respected. At one time he was president of the Millbury Savings Bank. He served for a short time as Town Clerk.
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Mr. Harrington married Eliza, daughter of deacon Elijah Waters, whose home was at the corner of Main and Elm streets. Mr. Harrington resided here and later in the adjoining house on Elm Street.
William Harrington, a brother of Thomas J., erected the Har- rington Block in Worcester and from him the corner received its name.
(See Genealogy.)
WILLIAM H. HARRINGTON
William H. Harrington, son of William, was born in Worcester, in 1824. The emigrant ancestor was Robert Harrington, who settled in Watertown, Mass., as early as 1642 and, in 1648, married Susanna George of that place. An ancestor served in the Revolu- tionary War.
Mr. Harrington was a highly respected citizen and is well-remem- bered by the older people. He was closely identified with the industrial life of the town.
Chauncy G. Harrington, a brother of William H., was formerly employed in town in the manufacture of iron tools.
William H. Harrington was a principal factor in the ownership and operation of the Atlanta Mills and in that connection he ac- quired much real estate including the Randall Block.
He married a daughter of Elder Forbes.
ITHRAN HARRIS
Ithran Harris, a soldier of the War of 1812, lived on High St., Bramanville. At one time he was engaged in the manufacture of shoes. He held a commission as Justice of the Peace and held court in the house later occupied by Hosea Crane. He was com- monly called "Judge" Harris and was highly respected.
COL. JONATHAN HOLMAN
Jonathan Holman was born in that part of Sutton now included in West Millbury, in 1732. He was a son of Solomon, Jr., and a grandson of Solomon Holman of Newbury, Mass. His mother, the second wife of Solomon, Jr., was Mercy Waters of Sutton. In 1742, he was one of the petitioners for a new, or second, parish in Sutton.
Colonel Holman had a good share of the military spirit in him, for the tidings of the Boston massacre in 1770 raised the blood in
MRS. JONATHAN HOLMAN 1759 - 1849
COL. JONATHAN HOLMAN 1732 - 1814
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his veins to the fever point. Twelve years before, he had bravely fought for England in the Colonial war and, when the call to arms came in 1775 to resist aggression, the men of the North parish quickly responded and they had in him a tutor who knew by experi- ence that grim-visaged war meant death to many strong, brave breasts. His old musket of the days of the French war had been laid aside with its scars of a contest that had been waged fiercely in behalf of the mother land, but it was replaced by a sword drawn in the cause of freedom for the American people. A firm friend of Colonel Holman at this time was Ebenezer Learned, of Oxford, who, though connected with those opposing the patriot's cause, bravely espoused the side of freedom. With Mr. Holman he had bravely fought in the war with France, and had participated in the conquest of Canada. In 1775, Learned was early in the field, and he sought Jonathan Holman, who was chosen Major, as one of the officers of the regiment which he had organized. With other brave-hearted men he was at Bunker Hill to shield the patriot homes near that spot sacred to the cause of liberty. Soon the 5th Massachusetts regiment was organized, and its command was bestowed upon Colonel Holman. In 1776, after Boston was evacuated by the British, Gen. William Heath was ordered to New York, from Massachusetts. On the thirtieth day of March he arrived there; on July 27, he wrote as follows in his diary: "A regiment of militia, under command of Colonel Holman, arrived from Massachusetts." On the twenty-seventh day of August Holman's regiment received a baptism of fire near New York that steeled the hearts of his men for yet harder conflicts which were to follow. In October, his regiment met the foe at White Plains and although no great advantage was gained, yet it nobly bore its part in the fray and the entire command under Colonel Holman received the commendations of the superior officers. Some time after the battle of White Plains, Colonel Holman and his men were sent to Rhode Island on an alarm, and remained there during December, 1776, and January, 1777. On Sept. 26, 1777, his regiment of militia was sent to reinforce the northern army. He was at Bennington where the regiment was engaged in opposing the invasion of Burgoyne and at Saratoga, on October 17, he took part in the fight which not only humbled that general but marked the turning point of the Revolution in the effectual check of the British. Soon after this battle the regiment returned home having
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been gone on this campaign thirty days. This victory under Gates and Schuyler kindled new zeal for the patriot cause and, as Wilkinson told the tidings of victory, he exclaimed in a burst of enthusiasm, "The whole British army has laid down arms at Saratoga." Colonel Holman's active military career ended soon after the surrender of Burgoyne, although he did not resign from the service until 1779. Peaceful pursuits at home then took the attention of the men from the North and South Parishes of Sutton, who had borne aloft unsullied, amid disaster and victory, the banner of a free people. '
1 Colonel Holman later became an extensive land owner in Mill- bury and in the state of Maine. He was a successful farmer and business man. About 1800, he built for his large family a man- sion which was considered to be one of the best in the county. Having helped to secure the liberties of his country, the old hero retired to his extensive farm (now the home of John W. Pierce) in West Millbury, and lived there until 1814, when he was gathered to his fathers. The old building, a solid and enduring structure, is still standing, though dimmed by age. A beautiful lawn reaches away to the south, around which lie the pleasant fields once the pride of a Holman, who moved here from old Newbury. The land joins the farms of Capt. Samuel Trask and Capt. Samuel Small, who also went as soldiers to the war of the Revolution.
Colonel Holman filled many important offices in his native place, for his sterling character and sound judgment gave him a high standing with his fellow-citizens throughout his life. In fact, our honored ex-president, William Howard Taft, may justly be proud in having for an ancestor such a worthy man as Jonathan Holman.
Many people find it hard to understand why there are two monuments in our cemeteries erected to Colonel Holman, but the explanation is that some of his relatives, years after his death, wished to have the remains brought to the central Cemetery but others, who were more closely related, wished them to remain in the place where the body was first interred, which was a portion of his father's original farm. Accordingly, a stone to his memory was raised in the Central Cemetery by those who failed to have their wish granted. Thus in "God's acre" at West Millbury, the old North Parish burying ground of Sutton, beneath a towering
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marble shaft lie the remains of this Revolutionary hero, and around his resting-place the graves of many who contested by his side on the battle-fields of our country are scattered.
The hum of industry is still heard in his native village, the plow still turns the furrow on the broad acres that once were his, the cattle graze in the pastures as of old. Where long ago his mill- wheels turned round and round, other mills are running and his contemporaries have gone the way which all the living must follow. Though later generations walk where his feet have often trod, and yet later generations will come and go, his record as a man and a soldier is written indelibly and on the page inscribed with the list of Worcester county heroes no name is more deeply impressed than that of Jonathan Holman.
In the same year that Colonel Holman died his son Elijah, who became the residuary legatee under the will of his father, executed a bond in favor of his mother-in-law, which conveyed to him the entire estate of his father.
(See Genealogy.)
(See Revolutionary Soldiers.)
RODNEY N. HOLMAN
Rodney Nelson Holman was born in Millbury, Oct. 8, 1834. He was a descendant of Lieut. David Holman, a Revolutionary soldier. For many years Mr. Holman was engaged in the insur- ance business, through which he became well-known throughout New England. He enlisted in Company F, 1st Battalion, Mass. Heavy Artillery. He was a member of Geo. A. Custer Post, G. A. R., and filled important offices in that organization. He was a member of Olive Branch Lodge A. F. and A. M., Tyrian Royal Arch Chapter, Hiram Council of Worcester, and Adah Chapter, Order of Eastern Star. He was an active member of the Second Congregational Church. A son, Charles F. Holman, is editor and proprietor of "The Millbury Journal," and has served as assessor.
(See Genealogy.)
JUDGE JOHN HOPKINS
Judge John Hopkins, born March 19, 1840, was a native of Leonard Stanly, England. In 1842, his father, James Hopkins, came to America, living for a time in Dracut, Massachusetts, and
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later moved to Canada. As a boy John Hopkins began work in a woolen mill, in West Eaton, N. Y. When sixteen years of age, he found employment in a woolen mill, at Waterford, R. I. Some time after this he attended school at Andover, at Auburn, N. Y., and at Burlington, Vt. He later entered Dartmouth College from which he was graduated in 1862. In this same year he read law in the office of J. B. Cooke, at Blackstone. He also taught school in this state, in Rhode Island, in Vermont, and in New Hampshire. In 1864, he was admitted to the bar of Wor- cester County, Massachusetts, and for twenty-seven years he was a practicing attorney, having an office at Millbury, and one in Worcester. :
In 1891, Mr. Hopkins was appointed Judge of the Superior Court of the Commonwealth, a position which he held until his death.
Judge Hopkins was an able speaker and his appearance before legislative committees carried great weight for his arguments were clear, concise, and hard to controvert. He was considered one of the ablest criminal lawyers in the state, and stood high as an attorney in civil cases. His long connection with the sewerage contest between Millbury and Worcester made him extensively known. He served the town in many important positions, having been representative in the General Court in 1882-1883, selectman, member of the school committee, assessor and trustee of the town library.
He married Mary C. Salisbury, of Blackstone, Mass. Their children were: Herbert S .; Herman; and Grace. The death of Judge Hopkins, which occurred May 19, 1902, removed one of our ablest citizens and one who was universally respected.
BION B. HOWARD
Bion B. Howard resided in Millbury in the 60's and 70's and left a wholesome impression on the town. He was a gentleman with many interests under his care. Twice he was agent of the Cordis Mills which prospered under his direction. In 1872 and 1873, he was successively on the board of selectmen and he also served as cemetery commissioner. In 1879, he was elected a director in the Millbury National Bank. He is remembered as an owner and admirer of fine horses.
JUDGE JOHN HOPKINS 1840 - 1902
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EDWIN HOYLE
Edwin Hoyle came to America in 1852, when a lad of eight, and went to live with relatives at Millbury. He received a common school education and worked in a cotton mill. He early went into business for himself and was a pioneer in the art of waste scouring in the United States. His mill was located on a street leading from West Main street along Ramshorn Stream and his former residence is opposite. In politics Mr. Hoyle was a Repub- lican. He was actively interested in public affairs, especially in the welfare of the town.
SAMUEL E. HULL
The Hull family is descended from the Rev. Joseph Hull, a clergyman of England, who came to this country from Somerset. He lived in Hingham, and later became a pastor of the Church at Yarmouth. Several of the family resided in Uxbridge and Mill- bury. Elias, son of William Hull, of the sixth generation, was born in Uxbridge, Mass., in 1806. The farm at the foot of Hull Hill, owned by William, descended to Elias who lived there until his death in 1871. Samuel E. Hull, son of Elias, was born on this farm in 1843, and remained there until he reached his majority. He received his education in our public schools, and at Eastman's Business College, Poughkeepsie, N. Y. Mr. Hull enlisted during the Civil War, and served at Fort Warren, Boston harbor. He then returned to Millbury, where four years were spent on the farm, and in the saw-mill connected therewith. For five years he was a wood-molder at Worcester. He next went to Philadel- phia, Pa., where he remained three years with a manufacturing company. For eleven years, he was employed by the C. D. Morse Co., at Millbury. For a year he was engaged as guard at the State Prison at Concord.
Mr. Hull engaged in business for himself, in 1882, succeeding Briggs & Co. in the cotton and wool-waste trade, at Millbury. In 1892, he succeeded to the wool business of D. C. Sumner in Worcester which, together with the business at Millbury, was conducted by him until his death.
Mr. Hull was president of the Millbury National Bank, and a trustee of the Millbury Savings Bank. He served as a director of the Millbury Water Company for a long period. For several
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years he was a selectman of the town and for part of the time chairman of the Board. For two years he represented the town in the House of Representatives, and for two years he was in the State Senate. Mr. Hull was a familiar figure in the conventions of his party here and elsewhere.
Mr. Hull saved the lives of five of the townspeople when a horse with a carriage containing them backed off a bridge. In recogni- tion of this a watch was presented to him by the town, having on it this inscription: "In April, 1871, S. E. Hull rescued five per- sons from drowning. This watch is presented to him by the town of Millbury, Massachusetts, as a testimonial of his services at the time." The pond at which this catastrophe occurred was situated at the Hull farm, located on the western side of the Blackstone River three-quarters of a mile above Greenwood Crossing.
(See Annals, 1872.)
Mr. Hull was a Knight Templar, a member of George A. Custer, Post 70, G. A. R., and of the Home Market Club of Boston; also a member of the Massachusetts Republican Club, as well as the Commonwealth Club of Worcester.
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CHAPTER XXXI INDEPENDENT SKETCHES, J-S
DR. CHARLES JEWETT
Among the many prominent men who have had a home in Mill- bury may be mentioned Dr. Charles Jewett, the noted temperance lecturer, and fellow-worker with John B. Gough, John H. W. Haw- kins, and others. Dr. Jewett was born in Lisbon, Conn., Sept. 5, 1807. As a lad, he worked for a time at making nails by hand. He received part of his education at the Academy in Plainfield, Conn. His medical studies were pursued under Dr. Elijah Bald- win, of South Canterbury, Conn.
Dr. Jewett began the practice of medicine in East Greenwich, R. I., in 1829, at the age of twenty-two. He soon became much interested in the cause of temperance and from that time until his death he labored to do away with the liquor traffic. In after years, he bought the farm now owned by Calvin W. Brackett, and moved there in 1849. Wm. M. Thayer, in his life of Dr. Jewett, says: "From the time the doctor became a citizen of Millbury, he identified himself with all that was necessary to promote the welfare of the town and the church. The schools, the lyceum, the library, and whatever else was indispensable to social and intellectual growth, enlisted his deepest interest. Especially the moral and spiritual growth of the community absorbed his attention. He and his family united with the (2d) Congregational Church and Society (then) under the pastoral care of Rev. Leverett Griggs. The service which the doctor and family rendered to both pastor and people was highly esteemed. Dr. Jewett's wit, humor, talents, piety and tact became an element in the social, intellectual and moral condition of the town." Dr. Griggs in a letter says: "it is with pleasure I pen a few thoughts respecting Dr. Charles Jewett. He was a parishioner of mine, very much respected and beloved the few years he resided in Millbury, Mass. Dr. Jewett was ready for almost any emer- gency. In Millbury we were generally favored with a course of
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lectures in the winter. On one occasion a large assembly con- vened, but the expected lecturer did not come. Inquiry was made of the doctor whether he would consent to address the audience. No one, I presume, expected anything but a temperance talk. He rose and delighted that audience for a full hour, with an exceedingly entertaining lecture on Shakespeare. He quoted lengthy passages, and represented the different characters, as but few men are able to do."
In the spring of 1854, Dr. Jewett moved with his family to Batavia, Illinois, and his departure was much regretted. His stay there was short, and he later moved to Minnesota. He resided at Faribault, Minn., in 1855, still engaged in every good work. In 1856, he wrote to his friends in the east asking help to build a place of worship for the people of his locality. The Second Congregational Church at Millbury responded with thirty-five dollars, and he had the satisfaction of soon seeing a church and Sunday School organized there, and a house of wor- ship erected. John C. Crane was a pioneer in Minnesota at the time Dr. Jewett was at Faribault, and he has testified to the esteem in which the doctor was held.
Dr. Jewett returned to Massachusetts in 1858 and for a few months resided again among his old neighbors, in Millbury, after which he again engaged in temperance work elsewhere.
Dr. Jewett was a strong anti-slavery man, and circulated peti- tions for abolishing slavery in the District of Columbia. Upon the passage of the Fugitive Slave Law he became at once a volun- teer station agent on the "under-ground railroad," and his house at Millbury (in 1915 occupied by Mr. Ralph Nutting) was known to fleeing fugitives as a safe rendezvous. He is said to have fitted (as Mr. Thayer tells) a place under a stairway in his dwelling at Park Hill, where foot-sore travellers, with "skins not colored like his own," might be secreted. The good doctor took these fleeing slaves early in the morning, after their arrival, and placed them on board a train for Canada and freedom. Some years later, after his Minnesota venture, Dr. Jewett moved to Wisconsin, where he met sickness and financial troubles. He became discouraged but he was helped by his old friend, John B. Gough, and by Mr. L. M. Sargent. On April 3, 1879, Dr. Jewett died at Norwich Town, Connecticut, after a long and useful life. We are told that he was the father of thirteen children.
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THOMAS KENDALL, Jr.
Thomas Kendall, Jr., son of the Rev. Thomas Kendall, first minister of Foxborough, Mass., was born there August 3, 1786, being the fifth Thomas in direct descent from Francis Kendall. In 1800, the father bought the John Kidder farm situated very near the Oxford line in Millbury (then Sutton), on a road which leads from the head of Ramshorn Pond to Federal or Long Hill in Oxford. The Rev. Thomas Kendall married Ruth, daughter of Richard Waters, an original settler of Sutton. It is believed that from him and William Plaise, another ancestor, gunsmiths, Mr. Kendall inherited much of his mechanical ingenuity. Thomas Kendall, Jr., married Olive, a daughter of Lemuel Crane at Oxford, Mass. The history of Sutton states that Mr. Kendall had five fingers on each hand.
At the home place Mr. Kendall had his shop in which he made, it is believed, the first complete thermometer in the country. While using thermometers previously in his tests, he had found that the only "standards" were imported and that they were expensive. He thereupon invented a machine for graduating the scale to conform to the variation of the column of mercury and he produced an accurate instrument at a comparatively small cost.
Mr. Kendall had received a good education and was a capable machinist. He installed the machinery in the old Dudley Merino mills, which were among the first to use power-looms in this coun- try. He manufactured surveyors' compasses and many other useful articles possibly equipping with their instruments his brother-in-law, Ebenezer Waters, and his father-in-law, Lemuel Crane, who were both civil engineers. In the "Massachusetts Spy" of February 25, 1817, the following advertisement appeared:
"Thomas Kendall, Jr., Millbury, Mass., manufactures Ther- mometers of all kinds used by gentlemen, distillers, dyers, and those who make use of lead or oil in tempering steel. Also makes surveying compasses, scale protectors, spirit levels, and engraved mechanics' tools-goods forwarded by Post Riders.
"THOMAS KENDALL, Jr."
When Mr. Kendall was modestly laboring in his shop, two other inventors lived within three miles of him, namely, Thomas Blan- chard and Asa Kenney, with both of whom he exchanged ideas.
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In 1820, Mr. Kendall's health became very much impaired and he was induced to move with his family to New Lebanon, New York, where he lived as a country gentleman, looking after a small farm and interesting himself in the affairs and improvement of the town, then largely populated with settlers from New England. With the help of his eldest son, he made a few thermometers, taking them to New Haven (Yale College), Albany Observatory, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington. These were tested thoroughly and placed on the market, but on account of Mr. Kendall's health the business was conducted by his son John, a lad of eighteen. It was continued by him and the family until 1892, the year of the death of John Kendall, when the old shop, built in 1833, was permanently closed.
Mr. Kendall became interested with Elam Tilden (father of Samuel J. Tilden) in a school for the higher education of boys, and it was while on a visit to New York City in the interests of this school that he contracted a cold which resulted in his death at Albany, N. Y., December 10, 1831. He was buried at New Lebanon, N. Y.
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