Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume I, Part 114

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 924

USA > Massachusetts > Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume I > Part 114

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(II) Josiah Whitcomb, son of John Whit- comb (1), was born in Dorchester, Massachu- setts, in 1638. He accompanied his father from Scituate to Lancaster in 1654, and his name appears often on the earliest town rec- ords. In 1688 he was paid a bounty for killing a wolf, and he and his brother Job figured in an action for damages to a neighbor's swine. It seems that Stephen Gates, their next neigh- bor, had three pigs killed by the Whitcomb boys, and their father agreed to settle for the dam- age by paying forty-five shillings in wheat "within a week after Michael tyde next 1658 to be payed at his house in Sudbury," but later Whitcomb asked the general court to relieve him from payment. The court decided in favor of Gates, because he had the note, though Whit- comb alleged that the note was obtained by false representations and that he was not liable for the logs. "It was by reason of age and weakness I did not consider of it that I had no right to pay anything to him before he did duly make it appear that I had damnified him."

Josiah married, January 4, 1664, in Lancas- ter, Rebecca, daughter of Lawrence and Ann (Linton) Waters, of Watertown, Lancaster and Charlestown, Massachusetts. She was born February, 1640. During Queen Ann's war, 1702-1717, he was allowed a garrison for pro- tection against the Indians; it was situate in

what is now Bolton, then Lancaster. He was commander of the garrison. In 1705 he was selectman ; in 1708 was one of thirty who signed the church covenant, and he contributed liberally to the support of the church: in 1710 was a deputy to the general court. In his will dated March 20, 1718, he gave to each of his children an eighth part of his right in the town of Littleton, Massachusetts. His widow died in 1726. A rough granite slab marks his grave in Lancaster, and gives the date of his death March 21, 1718, in his eightieth year. Chil- dren : 1. Josiah, Jr., born November 12, 1665, died same day. 2. Josiah, Jr., born January 7, 1666, or 1667. 3. David, born February 20, 1668, mentioned below. 4. Rebecca, born No- vember 12, 1671; married Jacob Houghton, 1704. 5. Johannah, born March 8, 1674 ; mar- ried, December 26, 1708, Peter Joslin ; she died September 24, 1717. 6. Hezekiah, born Sep- tember 14, 1681. 7. Deborah, born December 26, 1683 : probably died young. 8. Damaris, mar- ried in Marlborough, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Wilder. 9. Mary. 10. Abigail, born March 13, 1687; married Josiah White, June 26, 1706. II. Eunice.

(III) David Whitcomb, son of Josiah Whit- comb, was married May 31, 1700, in Con- cord, Massachusetts, to Mary (Hayward) Fair- banks, widow, a descendant of Resolved White, who came over in the "Mayflower," a small boy, with his father and mother, and whose brother Peregrine is famous as the first white child born in Massachusetts, or New England. Her husband, Jonathan Fairbanks, was killed by the Indians at Lancaster, Sep- tember 4, 1697 ; she was taken captive, but was returned January 17, 1699, on the Province Galley from Casco Bay. While in captivity she acquired a knowledge of herbs from the Indians, and was afterward for this reason called Doctress. They lived in the southeastern corner of what is now Bolton, and he kept a tavern. He died intestate April II, 1730, and his wife Mary died January 5, 1734, in the sixty-seventh year of her age. The real estate of David was divided among his heirs by a partition agreement. Children : 1. David. 2. Jonathan. 3. Joseph, born 1700, mentioned below. 4. Rebecca, baptized 1708, married Ezra Sawyer, January 16, 1725-6. 5. Benja- min, born 1710, baptized November 26, 1710, at Lancaster. 6. Simon, baptized March 7, 1713-4.

(IV) Joseph Whitcomb, son of David Whit- comb. was born in Lancaster, 1700. Hc married, January 20, 1725, Damaris, daughter

divine et Whitconst.

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of John and Anna (Houghton) Priest. They settled in Lancaster, in what is now Leomins- ter; removed about 1760 to West Swanzey, New Hampshire, where his wife died Novem- ber 12, 1770. He moved into the wilderness, built a saw mill and grist mill, making the privilege on which now stand the Stratton mills and the box and bucket shops. He owned an extensive tract of land, was a man of high standing, and a leading citizen. He died No- vember, 1792, aged ninety-two years, and was buried in Swanzey; his wife died November 12, 1770. In the expedition which laid siege to Louisburg in 1745, Joseph Whitcomb was lieutenant in Company Four, of which John Warner was captain, in Colonel Samuel Will- ard's regiment."In the Crown Point expedi- tion, 1755, he was lieutenant, and in the con- quest of Canada, 1758, was captain in Colonel Timothy Ruggle's regiment.

Children: 1. Abigail, born April 13, 1726; married - - Derby. 2. Elizabeth, born De- cember 3, 1728. 3. Lieutenant Joseph, born March 15, 1731-2; soldier in revolution. 4. Benjamin, born September 1, 1735 ; died young. 5. Damaris, born January 7. 1737, died young. 6. Benjamin, born September 29, 1738. 7. Colonel Jonathan Priest, born January 14, 1740, at Leominster ; was in the revolution. 8. Colonel Elisha (twin), born October 18, 1742. 9. Elizabeth (twin), born October 18, 1742. IO. Damaris, born May 21, 1746 ; married, April 3. 1765, Jonathan Carter ; she died July 6, 1820. II. General Philemon, born October 29. 1748. 12. Abijah, born June 25, 1751; mentioned below. 13. Anna, born 1755; mar- ried June 19, 1775, John Carter, of Leominster.

.(V) Abijah Whitcomb, son of Captain Joseph Whitcomb, was born June 25. 1751, at Leo- minster. Massachusetts, and moved with the family to Swanzey, New Hampshire. He built a saw and grist mill on the west side of the river at West Swanzey, and later with his brother Philemon built a saw mill at what is now Spragueville, New Hampshire. He was a soldier in the revolution and took part in the battle of Bunker Hill, and served eight months and a half in the army at Cambridge in 1775. He was a pensioner late in life. He was in Captain Jonathan Whitcomb's company, Col- onel Reed's regiment. Four of his brothers had commissions in the army, while Abijah, the youngest, was a private. His brother, Cap- tain Tonathan, who commanded the company in which Abijah was, was entertaining some visitors at Cambridge, and without ceremony ordered Abijah to fetch some rum. He felt

slighted at not being introduced to the visitors, and so, it is said, bawled out : "Which will you have, Brother Jonathan, Old England or New England?" The five brothers settled in Swan- zey, and of this line comes the character made famous on the stage as Joshua Whitcomb. In 1840 Abijah was living with Joseph Whitcomb, Swanzey. He married first, November 6, 1786, Mary Seaver, born November 8, 1764, died August 25, 1789, daughter of Shubal Seaver. Abijah married second, February 6, 1791, Sus- anna Warner, born August 19, 1766, died De- cember 10, 1825, daughter of Daniel Warner. Abijah died May 17, 1847. Children: I. Abi- jah, born October 25, 1791 ; married Novem- ber 24, 1815, Susanna Graves, born 1790, died November, 1845, daughter of Elijah Graves ; he died October 10, 1872; children: i. Caro- line Maria, born January 7, 1818, died April 29, 1867 ; ii. Benjamin Franklin, born Septem- ber 7, 1820. 2. Joseph, born January 31, 1800, mentioned below. 3. Susanna, born January 4, 1807 ; married William Read.

(VI) Joseph Whitcomb, son of Abijah Whit- comb, was born in Swanzey, New Hamp- shire, January 31, 1800, and died May 8, 1842. He married Betsey Page, who was born in Rupert, Vermont, in 1799, and died August 9, 1873. Their children, all born at Swanzey: I. Chestina, born April 21, 1829; resides in Toronto, Canada ; married September 23, 1853, James Elbridge Underwood, of Lawrence, Massachusetts. 2. Joseph Page, born April 29, 1831 ; resides in Keene, New Hampshire ; mar- ried Mary Elizabeth Goodnow ; children: i. Alice Mary, born February 7, 1856; married November, 1886, Marshall W. Nims, of Con- cord, New Hampshire: ii. Carrie Elizabeth, born January 5, 1862 ; teacher at Keene ( New Hampshire), high school. 3. Irvine Abijah, born April 9, 1839 ; mentioned below.

(VII) Irvine Abijah Whitcomb, son of Joseph Whitcomb, born at Swanzey, New Hampshire, April 9, 1839. He was educated at the district school in old No. 5, and at Mt. Caesar Academy at Swanzey Centre, from which he was graduated at the age of sixteen. He was familiar with hard work, like most boys of his day, and at the completion of his schooling went to work in the pail factory in his native town. In a few years he left the mill and opened a stationery store in Law- rence, Massachusetts, where for some years he was very successful. Disaster finally coming upon him through no fault of his, he was obliged to settle with his creditors as best he could, and wind up his business. His char-

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acter is well shown by the fact that he later paid all these debts with interest, a form of honesty that is by no means common in these times. He then accepted a position as travel- ing agent for the Boston, Concord & Montreal railroad, going south as far as Baltimore, west as far as St. Louis, Chicago, Cleveland and Buffalo. The six years he spent in this posi- tion made him thoroughly familiar with the railroad business, and revealed to him its possi- bilities. He was forty years old when he began the life work that made his name known throughout the civilized world. He formed a partnership with Walter Raymond. In 1879 Raymond & Whitcomb put into successful operation their plans to manage railroad excur- sions in the United States. These trips prov- ing successful. they were gradually extended until they reached the Pacific coast and be- yond, and finally the Raymond & Whitcomb ex- cursions became known all over the world. The first excursion to California from the east was in the spring of 1881. The party consisted of two hundred and eighty-four persons, and the train was divided in two sections. Before this, however, Raymond & Whitcomb had made trips to Washington, the White Mountains, Montreal, Quebec, Niagara Falls, etc. In 1882 the firm sent out five trains each carrying a hun- dred or more passengers. The business greatly increased from year to year, and new routes were selected. The first winter excursion cov- ered a period of seven months, carrying sixty passengers ; the second numbered one hundred and thirty-eight, and the third over four hun- dred.

The business was incorporated in the state of Maine in 1900. under the name of Ray- mond & Whitcomb Company, Mr. Raymond being the first president, and Mr. Whitcomb, general manager and treasurer of the com -. pany. In 1903 Mr. Whitcomb was made president, and retained that position. as well as that of treasurer, until his death. The company has offices at 25 Union Square, New York: 1005 Chestnut street, Philadelphia ; Park Building, Fifth avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsyl- vania ; 133 East Jackson Boulevard, Chicago. The Agencies: Union Ticket Office, 377 Main street, Buffalo, New York ; New York Central City Ticket Office, University Block, Syracuse, New York; 20 State street, Rochester, New York: 64 North Pearl street, Albany, New York : 33 Seneca street, Geneva, New York : 385 Main street, Worcester, Massachusetts; 404 Main street, Springfield, Massachusetts; 216 West Fourth street, Los Angeles, California ;

San Francisco, California; 132 Third street, Portland, Oregon ; 20 Cockspur street, S. W. London ; 14 Hare street, Calcutta ; 59 Hornby Row, Bombay, India. Besides these mentioned, there are correspondents in Paris and London, and all other agents of the Compagnie Inter- nationale des Wagons-Lits and the Trans- Siberian Railway throughout Europe. Besides organizing and managing personally conducted tours, the company makes a business of pro- viding the ordering of cars for family and other parties anywhere in the world, selling foreign exchange, providing letters of credit, travelers' checks, bankers' money orders to all parts of the world. The company sells rail- road and steamship tickets at regular rates to all points, and has as authorized agents from Boston, the Boston & Albany. the Boston & Maine, the New York, New Haven & Hart- ford, including the steamship lines; from New York, the New York Central & Hudson River, West Shore, Baltimore & Ohio, Lehigh Valley, Central Railroad of New Jersey, the Erie; from Philadelphia, the Baltimore & Ohio, Philadelphia & Reading ; also the United Rail- ways of Havana, all the principal lake and river steamship lines, coastwise lines of steamers to points in Maine and the maritime provinces, the Chesapeake Bay ports, the South, the West Indies, Porto Rico. South America. Alaska. also all trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific steamship lines.

These excursions were not managed solely to save money, but to make traveling more comfortable and freer from those petty details that are so annoying to many people. Ladies and those unaccustomed to travel were taken in charge and cared for in such a satisfactory manner that these excursions soon acquired a popularity that has persisted to the present day .. They catered to the best classes in the com- munity. They gained their confidence and patronage, and it was their constant aim to give their patrons a little more than they promised, never anything short of what was stated in their announcements, and many can bear witness to their faithfulness in living up to this standard. Much of this excellent re- sult was due to the arduous and intelligent effort of Mr. Whitcomb, and it was largely through his great energy, perseverance and tact that he was enabled to place this enter- prise upon its successful foundation. The business involved an infinite amount of de- tail. Mr. Whitcomb knew the railroads, their officers, managers and conductors, times of moving trains, connections to be made, places.

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for stop-overs, the names of the parlor and sleeping cars, the hotels and eating houses and their owners and managers, carriage men and stage proprietors, in fact every one and every- thing having to do with his business, to which his great energy was entirely devoted. Mr. Whitcomb was the pioneer in this particular branch of industry in this country. His energy, his honesty, his reliability, his ability to accom- plish results, his loyalty to his friends and to the public, his generosity, and his great human- ity. all go to the formation of that high char- acter which his friends and acquaintances will always associate with his memory.

Mr. Whitcomb resided in Somerville, Massa- chusetts, where he had a handsome home. He was a Congregationalist in religion, and joined the Broadway Congregational Church of Som- erville on Sunday, December 2, 1906. : He, however, for many years was active in the affairs of the parish, and contributed liberally to the various charities and societies of the church. He gave three thousand dollars to the fund for a parsonage, and his plan to raise the money to pay for the building was successful. For fourteen years various contributors of the fund are to pay over the sum of five hundred dollars annually, and when the aggregate is seven thousand dollars, Mr. Whitcomb's contri- bution is to pay the balance. The parsonage cost ten thousand dollars, and the condition of the gift is that it be used always as a parson- age. Mr. Whitcomb gave freely to other relig- ious societies that appealed to him for aid, and in all affairs, whether municipal, political or religious, showed the spirit of a patriotic Amer- ican citizen. He was an active supporter of Republican politics and candidates. He was a member of Tuscan Lodge of Free Masons, of the Congregational Club, Boston, and of the Home Market Club, of Boston. He was popular among his townsmen and business associates, and was one of the most widely known and highly respected business men in the United States.

Mr. Whitcomb married (first), June, 1865, Helen M. King, daughter of A. B. P. King. He married ( second). July 3, 1877, Emma F. Read, daughter of Edwin F. and Ambre ( Stone ) Read. of Swanzey, New Hampshire, her parents were natives there, residing in Keene, New Hampshire. Mrs. Whitcomb is prominent in Somerville society and a mem- ber of the Heptorean Club. Children of Irvine A. and Helen M. Whitcomb: 1. Frank Irvine; born January, 1868: attends the Episcopal church : resides in New York City; married,

in San Francisco, October 15. 1890, Miriam Miller, born in Bear Valley, California, May II, 1868; child, Frank Irvine, Jr., born No- vember 6, 1891, at New York. 2. Nelson, died in childhood. Children of Irvine A. and Emma F. Whitcomb : 3. Ernest Read, born October 1I, 1886, at Somerville; student in Tufts College. 4. Emmons Joseph, born April 5, 1888, at Somerville ; student in Massachu- setts Institute of Technology.

Mr. Whitcomb died April 15, 1907, at Som- erville, Massachusetts. At his funeral, April 18, 1907, the following remarks were made by his pastor, Rev. Robert Welsted Beers, of the Broadway Congregational Church, Somerville :

"In sorrow's dark and gloomy day We blindly grope the troubled way, And question 'mid our trembling fears Why earth is such a vale of tears; 'Till Faith lifts up her radiant eyes. And sees upon the azure skies These words in heavenly beauty glow,- 'Believe-Hereafter ye shall know.'

"We ask in hours of pain and grief Why Love Divine grants not relief- Why earth no comfort can impart, No solace for the breaking heart; Yet, when the promise we survey, Our hearts with joyful meekness say, 'Since Love Divine ordains it so, Amen: Hereafter ye shall know.'

"How oft the funeral march we tread, And, weeping o'er our buried dead, The mourning heart the answer craves Why earth is such a world of graves; Then Faith discerns the promised dawn And hails the Resurrection morn;

And Jesus speaks to soothe our woe :-- 'Rejoice-Hereafter ye shall know.'"

"May this blessed Promise of our Divine Redeemer, the Friend that sticketh closer than a brother, serve to take away the gloom and sorrow of this present occasion, which are due to its peculiar circumstances :

"The keys of death and the grave are in the hands of Him who was dead, but is alive for evermore-in the hands of Him who is the Lord of life and death, and who has so loved us as to die the death of the Cross in our be- half. Death can come, neither to us, nor to our loved ones, without His permission. And, since He is infinite Love and infinite Wisdom, we may be confident that He permits it at the right time and in the right way to accomplish the largest outworking of good.

"We should therefore today bow before His superior wisdom, although we would all doubt- less have preferred that Mr. Whitcomb should

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have remained with us many years longer to use in the service of humanity the endowments and resources with which God had blessed him, and which he himself was anxious to use to the best possible advantage.

"He was a man of large experience with men, and a man of great possibilities, as was evidenced in his ever-expanding business ; and he was still in the prime of his usefulness, so that we are constrained at this time to exclaim in the words of the prophet: 'How is the strong staff broken!' He had a strength of character which became manifest very quickly to all with whom he had to do. He had a posi- tiveness of conviction, a persistence of energy, a solidity of opinion, which made him a tower of strength against opposing forces, and equally a strong staff to lean upon for counsel or assist- ance. He was a man of great frankness, of (leep earnestness, of strong determination, and of sterling integrity. Accordingly, he com- manded the respect of the entire community.

"Added to these characteristics, he had a mind of natural keenness, of broad vision, and trained skillfulness, which constituted him still more a man of strength-a strong staff wher- ever he appeared. This was made manifest especially in his business career. He was in love with his business, and burned with en- thusiasm at each new achievement, and strove to use all his powers to advance its utility. Progress was always his watchword. He was intensely active. He could not sit still. And his activity was never aimless. It was always for a purpose : and that purpose was to secure better and larger things.

"Not only was his activity and strength man- ifested in his chosen business. It was also shown in behalf of the community in which he lived. He was a public spirited man, taking a deep interest in everything that pertained to the advancement of the community, whether it was of a material, intellectual, or moral char- acter. He was also intensely interested in the church. He thoroughly believed in it as a Divine institution. He thoroughly believed that it is the great uplifting power in the world. And for many years he has been one of the chief financial supporters of the Broad- way Congregational Church, of which I am now pastor.

"And then, in addition to his great strength of character, exhibited in all spheres of his life, there was the social and private side of his character, which was as sweet and generous as a woman's, which made him quick to sympa- thize with and relieve others. He had an ex-

ceedingly tender heart, full of kindness, which often impelled him to stretch forth his hands in deeds of love and benevolence. If I could chisel upon his tomb the symbol of his char- acter, as it was made apparent to me, I would carve a flaming heart upon a broad and open hand. A flaming heart to denote the intensity of his nature, his burning enthusiasm, his all- consuming persistency of energy-and the broad and open hand to denote his large heart- ed sympathy and liberality. A flaming heart upon a broad and open hand is the truest sym- bol of his character.

"We are fortunate today in having with us one who has been very intimate with the family for years-one married in this house, and who will soon speak to you from a much longer acquaint- anceship with Mr. Whitcomb than it was my fortune to have. Nevertheless, I feel that although my knowledge of him has covered but a year and a half, yet in that time by reason of circumstances in the Providence of God. I have become far better acquainted with his true self than many others who may have been acquainted with him a great deal longer. "A year and a half ago I came 'a stranger' to Somerville : and he at once 'took me in,'- took me into his great big heart of loving sym- pathy, and lavished his affection upon me as a father upon his son. Nay, more ; he took me into his secret confidence, and talked to me of matters the most private and sacred. In re- turn I unbosomed myself to him-told him my plans for the Church, the encouragements and discouragements that I saw before me. And as a result. on the one hand. I am living today in a home provided by his generosity, fitted up according to my own desires-a project in which he took the keenest delight, not only be- cause he knew that it brought happiness to me and my family but because he believed he was providing a suitable home for the future pastors of our Church for all time to come. I do not believe he ever did anything in his whole life which gave him more gratification than that. And, as the result of our mutual confidences, on the other hand, it afforded me very great pleasure to be the instrument in God's hands of lifting him up to the higher spiritual plane of open confession of Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord. I will never forget our communion service last December, when he and ex-Mayor Perry were both re- ceived into the membership of the Broadway Church on confession of their faith-two strong men-each one a tower of strength. And I will never forget the carnestness of grasp, ex-

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pressive of his gratification at the step he was taking, which Mr. Whitcomb gave me when I gave him the right hand of fellowship, together with his life-motto in these words of our Risen Lord: 'Him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne.'

"I had hoped, because of this higher spir- itual vantage-ground which he had reached, to have his wise cousel and liberal assistance in everything pertaining to my pastoral work for many years to come : so that I am sure you can enter somewhat into my feelings when I tell you that I feel a very keen personal loss-a loss which seems to me just now to be irrepar- able.

"But I know that God's ways are always .best. 'He is not : for God hath taken him. And do you know that I think the manner of his death was not only the most merciful way possible, preventing as it did, much pain and suffering. but also the most beautiful way. When last Monday evening I received a mes- sage over the 'phone of his death, I hurried at once to his home, and to the room where he died. His death had taken place only a few minutes before ; and as I looked upon him, sitting on his couch with his head resting peacefully against the wall, he looked as if he had only fallen into a sweet, calm sleep, and the words which came instinctively to my lips were: 'So God giveth his beloved sleep.

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Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume I, Part 114

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 924

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 924