Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 30

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 886

USA > Massachusetts > Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume IV > Part 30

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(VII) Wyman (3), son of Wyman (2) and Deliverance Richardson, born at Swanzey, New Hampshire, March 5, 1803, married at Athol, Massachusetts, August 13, 1827, Are- thusa Southwick (Lee), born at Shutesbury, Massachusetts, March 6, 1809. They settled at Corinth, Vermont, where the three eldest children were born, then removed to Athol and Fitchburg, Massachusetts. They resided at Barre, Petersham and Boston. At Peter- sham he was superintendent of a button fac- tory which was burned in 1847, when the family moved to a part of Barre known as Smithville, from the name of the mill owner, John Smith, whose machinery Richardson was put in charge of, after being employed first as a machine hand. In 1850 David J. Foster, one of the proprietors of the button factory that was burned at Petersham, opened a new shop in Boston, and Richardson, to- gether with his sons, moved thither to work for him. After a few years in Boston, Rich- ardson moved to Fitchburg and went into business as a rattan manufacturer, his sons working for him. Their children were: I. Solon Oscar, born July 3, 1828 ; married Nan- cy Nichols Fairbanks : died March 31, 1872. 2. Seneca Merrill, December 5, 1829; mar- ried Emily D. Earle ; Worcester ; was partner in manufacturing firm of Wetherbee, Rugg & Richardson ; had daugliter, Harriet. 3. Ly- man Collins, November 26, 1831, never mar-

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ried ; located on Pacific coast ; was in British service. 4. William Augustus, December 20, 1833, see forward. 5. Charles Oswald, No- vember 13, 1839, died at Athol, September 26, 1810.

(VIII) William Augustus, son of Wyman (3) and Arethusa Richardson, was born at Athol, Massachusetts, December 20, 1833. When the family moved to Barre, William A. was seven years old, and there he obtained most of his schooling, though for a time he attended school at Petersham. His first work was in the mill at Smithville as a ma- chine hand. He work at the various branches of the machinist's trade with and for his fath- er, becoming a machinist of extraordinary skill. He went with his father to Foster's button factory, in Boston, and was with him in his rattan factory at Fitchburg. In 1860 he went to Waltham as an expert machinist for the American Watch Company. In 1863 he started in business for himself in New York, manufacturing rattan goods, but after one year gave it up and entered the employ of Ball & Williams, gun manufacturers, at Worcester. Later he went into the factory of Frank Wesson, at Worcester, to manufacture pistols under the patents of Gilbert H. Har- rington, who subsequently became a partner of Mr. Richardson, and whom he met there for the first time. In 1874 the foundation of the Harrington & Richardson Arms Com- pany was made, in a partnership between William A. Richardson and Gilbert H. Har- rington, to manufacture guns. The settled in quarters at 18 Manchester street, but these soon were too small and they moved to 31 Hermon street, where they continued until March 1, 1894, enlarging their factory from time to time as business grew. The firm of Harrington & Richardson were exclusive manufacturers of the celebrated Anson & Deely hammerless gun, the first of its kind made in this country, from 1880 to 1887. They secured a patent in April, 1887, for the safety hammerless gun, and in October of same year patented the cylinder catch which is still used. They took out a design patent in 1889, applying to stocks, and in 1895 a patent applying to a lever springs. They own other valuable patents. In January, 1888, the firm was incorporated as The Harrington & Rich- ardson Arms Company. The capital was $75,000. Mr. Harrington was president, Mr. Richardson, treasurer, and George F. Brooks secretary. Since the death of the two part-

ners Mr. Brook has been the manager. The present handsome building was built in 1893- 94. It is a five story brick structure, situated at the corner of the Boulevard and Chandler street. In 1900-01 large additions were made to the factory. It now covers 100,000 square feet, and about five hundred hands are em- ployed. No more attractive building archi- tecturally has been built for manufacturing in this city of many mills and factories. No more prosperous and well-ordered business is to be found in New England. It is one of the shops to which Worcester people point with pride, and it constitutes perhaps the most substantial and enduring monument to the mechanical skill and business sagacity of Mr. Richardson and his partner. Mr. Richard- son's skill and love for the mechanics must have been largely inherited from his ances- tors, who were blacksmiths and machinist. He was conceded to be one of the most skillful machinists in the state. Personally Mr. Richardson was a careful, unostentatious man, generous with his wealth, but preferring domestic life above all things. He was a member of no societies or clubs. He was a member and trustee of the First Universalist Church, and was liberal in his gifts to church- es and charities. He gave a large sum to All Soul's Church. Since his death his widow has continued to donate as she thinks he would have done had his life been spared. She re- cently gave to St. Lawrence University, of which Rev. Dr. Gunnison, formerly pastor of the First Universalist Church, is president, a gift of $10,000. Mr. Richardson was a Re- publican in politics. The dominant charac- teristics of Mr. Richardson were those of most self-made men-untiring energy and tenacity ; he stuck to an idea, and followed up a pro- ject to the end. He took an honorable satis- faction in the knowledge that his success in life had come without outside aid. His only capital was his skillful hands at the start. He never would accept his wife's fortune to aid him.

Mr. Richardson married Mary Ann Cow- en, daughter of Captain Robert and Ann (Til- den) Cowen. Her father was an eminent shipmaster at Plymouth, Massachusetts. They had no children, but reared several. Mr. Richardson died November 21, 1897. Mrs. Richardson, who has been and is closely iden- tified with many prominent charities, lives at their handsome home, 921 Main street, Wor- cester.

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The origin of the De Welles WELLS family of Lincolnshire, barons by summons to parliament, was in the Vaux (or Bauk, or Bayeux, or de Val- libus) family of France, one of the most il- lustrious families known to history. The de- rivation is traced to the year 794, from which period they held the highest rank, personally and by royal intermarriages. It was founded in England after the conquest by Harold de Vaux (a near connection of William the con- queror), and his three sons, Barons Hubert, Ranulph and Robert, were all surnamed de Vallibus. The descent is through the young- er son, Robert, whose grandson, William, had four sons : Robert de Dalston, baron ; Adam and William de Welles, of Lincolnshire, 1194; and Oliver de Vallibus, prior of Pentney Ab- bey. Adam de Welles died S. P. and his brother William thus became founder of that long line of noblemen of Lincolnshire, whose history is given in full by Dugdale in his standard work on "Baronage of England."

Among the different branches of the Welles family in America are traditions of origin, varied, but not contradictory, nor inconsist- ent with each other. Thus the descendants of George (afterwards of Southampton, Long Island), Richard (afterwards of Salisbury, Massachusetts) and William (afterwards of Southold, Long Island), known as among the first settlers of Lynn, Massachusetts, 1638, claim that there were three brothers came over together; also those from Isaac (of Barnstable, Massachusetts), Edward (of Boston) and Thomas (of Ipswich) have the same tradition ; also those of Hugh (of Hart- ford) (comtemporary 1636 to 1650) with Gov- ernor Thomas and John (his son) ; whilst the descendants of Joseph (of Boston, 1636) ; thence into Rhode Island, about 1640, at Wickford, state that he was the first emigrant of the family, fled about 1629 from London to avoid religious persecution and to save his life, and was soon followed by his seven sons or brothers who may reasonably be supposed to be all named above, viz: Isaac, Edward, Thomas Richard, George, William and Hugh, although there is no evidence of their consan- guinity.

It is said by Albert Wells, the historian of this family, and who has more than any one else devoted himself to its study, that the ac- count of its ancestry is voluminous and very satisfactory, being of ancient origin (794) and of highi rank in Normandy and England with royal intermarriages for over seven centur-

ies, when the title and estates merged into the Willoughby and Dymoke families.

From this English source came over in 1636 Thomas Wells, who was the common ancestor of many of the Wells in this country. He was eminent among that band of worth- ies who planted in this western world the germs of civil and religious freedom. He was not only deputy governor but the gover- nor of Connecticut. He was elected one of the six magistrates first chosen at the organ- ization of the government at Hartford in Connecticut and annually re-elected until his death, a period of more than twenty years. The magistrates at that time constituted the highest legislature and judicial tribunal in the colony. In 1639, on the full organization of the colonial government, he was chosen treas- urer of the colony, the first ever elected. In 1643 he was chosen secretary of the state. In 1649 he was chosen as one of the two com- missioners to represent Connecticut in the confederation of the New England colonies. (I) Hugh Wells, born in the county of Essex, England, probably came to New Eng- land in the "Globe" in 1635. He was of Hart- ford, Connecticut, in 1636, and removed from that place to Wethersfield, where he died about 1645. His wife, whose name was Frances, survived him, and married (second) Thomas Coleman, of Hatfield, and died in March, 1698. Children: Thomas, Hugh, Mary and John.

(II) Thomas, eldest child of Hugh and Frances Wells, was born about 1620, died Oc- tober or December, 1676. He evidently came with his father's family to America. He re- moved from Wethersfield to Hadley, 1659, as one of the "Engagers" to settle the latter town. He left a good estate in Wethersfield and Hadley, and house and lands in England. He married, May, 1651, Mary, daughter of William Beardsley, of Hartford. She sur- vived him and married (second) June 25, 1678, Samuel Belding, of Hatfield. She died Sep- tember 20, 1691, aged sixty. Children : Thom- as, Mary (died young), Sarah, John (died young), Jonathan, John, Samuel, Mary, Noah, Hannah, Ebenezer, Daniel, Ephraim and Joshua.

(III) Ebenezer, seventh son of Thomas and Mary (Beardsley) Wells, was born July 20, 1669. He had a grant of a home lot and twenty acres on Green river, in 1688, on con- dition that he should occupy it three years af- ter he was twenty-one. How long he re- mained there cannot be told. He returned to

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Hatfield where he died. He married (first) December 4, 1690, Mary, daughter of Ser- geant Benjamin Waite, of Hatfield; (second) August 15, 1705, Sarah, daughter of Samuel Smith, widow of John Lawrence, who had been killed by Indians at Brookfield in 1694. Children: Ebenezer, Thomas, Joshua, Mar- tha, John, Jonathan and Mary.

(IV) Jonathan, fifth son of Ebenezer and Mary (Waite) Wells, was born September 26, 1702. He settled in Roadtown, went to Deer- field about 1754, and lived at Great River. He died in February, 1797, aged ninety-six. He married Abigail, daughter of John Dickinson, of Hatfield. She died in Shelburne, at the house of Enoch Bardwell, in 1800, aged nine- ty-two. Children: Rebecca, Joseph, Abigail, Hepzibah, Martha, Asenath, John and Jona- than.

(V) John, second son of Jonathan and Abigail (Dickinson) Wells, was born in Deer- field, April 25, 1756. He was known as "Bot- tle John"; he lived at "Rocky Mountain" in 1775 and later in a small house between the Street and Cheapside. Three persons named John Wells were soldiers from Deerfield in the revolutionary war. It is probable that the John Wells of this sketch was one of the three; but without further knowledge of him it is impossible to determine which of the three records is his. He married (first) (pub- lished March 3, 1781) Desire Elliott, of Greenfield; by another account he married a Burnham; (second) Margaret Griffin. Chil- dren : Horace, Martha, John, George, Sophia, Edward, Joseph, Mary and Rebecca.

(VI) John (2), son of John (I) and De- sire (Elliott) Wells, was born about 1798, died July 27, 1855. He lived in Deerfield, Montague and Bernardston, and was a wheelwright and farmer. He married Lu- cinda, daughter of Israel and Rachel (Felt) Bagg. She was born in 1805 and died Feb- ruary 27, 1862, aged fifty-seven. Children : Charles William, George, John and Caroline. Caroline married Hosea Aldrich and lived in New York state.

(VII) Charles William, eldest child of John (2) and Lucinda (Bagg) Wells, was born 1836, died at North Leverett, Massachu- setts, August 16, 1867, of typhoid pneumonia. He was educated in the public schools, and at an early age began to work in his father's shop. Being a natural mechanic, he followed woodworking all his life. He resided some time at North Leverett. Franklin county, and at Bernardston. He married Martha Eliza-

beth, born in 1832, died in 1883, daughter of Justin and Frizzell Salisbury, of Reading, Vermont, by whom he had two sons: Edwin Dwight, see forward, and Alfred Charles, born August 6, 1859.

(VIII) Edwin Dwight, eldest son

of Charles William and Martha Elizabeth (Salis- bury) Wells, was born in Bernardston, March 13, 1857. The death of his father com- pelled him to help himself. A hand printing press assisted him to earn the money to at- tend the academy at Bernardston. While con- fined to the house by injuries received in an accident, at the age of nineteen, he wrote and delivered a first prize oration on intemperance, which has since been extensively quoted and also published in full in a book gotten out by the St. Jerome Temperance Society of Hol- yoke. Until the age of twenty-four he re- mained on the farm, teaching school and cul- tivating the ground. In March, 1881, he left home with the sum of sixty dollars and a de- termination to learn the hardware business, and with that end in view went to Holyoke, securing work in a hardware store at three dollars a week. About one and a half years later he entered the employ of J. Russell & Company, hardware dealers of Holyoke, with whom he remained about ten years. He left their employ to engage in business for himself, and now has one of the largest hardware stores in the city. For about sixteen years he lived in South Hadley Falls, and while there served as chairman of the school board, and at his suggestion many lasting improvements were effected. He removed to Holyoke in 1902. He is president of the noted Men's class of the First Congregational Church in Holyoke, is a member of the Free and Accept- ed Masons, and a Republican in politics. For several years Mr. Wells has visited the West Indies in the winter season and has written and given interesting addresses on the coun- tries visited.

Mr. Wells married (first) April 17, 1883, Estella R., daughter of Thomas J. Newcomb, of Bernardston, who survived but a short time. He married (second) May 4, 1886, Mary J., daughter of Lorenzo O. and Abbie Copley Wetmore. Children: Martha E., died at the age of three days. Edna Beatrice, born April 30, 1892, died March 10, 1893. Esther Vivian, born April 27, 1894, died May 26, 1905. In February, 1908, Mr. Wells gave a beautiful statue of Apollo to the Highland grammar school of Holyoke. There were special exercises for the occasion, many promi-

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nent people taking part, Professor E. D. Scott, of Worcester, giving a most excellent address on Greek sculpture and art to a large audience. Mr. Wells has also given a li- brary to grade VI of the same school, both gifts being in memory of his daughter, Esther Vivian.

LANG Old Strawberry Bank in the Ma- sonian grants, whilom ycleped Laconia, now New Hampshire state, was the landfall of some fine old Eng- lish stock in the middle of the seventeenth century. The Masons were near to the throne, and the folk they spirited across the Atlantic to people their wooded domain in the new world were tradesmen, sons of tradesmen, and the artisan class. There were the Langdons, Sherburnes, Chattertons, Pud- dingtons, Bracketts, Walfords and Langs. They were not driven away by religious per- secution like the pilgrims ; it is a question if they had any religion at all. They were men commercially inclined, seeking to better their fortune in the new Eldorado. Among those who were thus induced to embark was a man of the name of John Lang; whence he came, out of what conditions he issued, or of what quality he was, we know not for cer- tainty. But judging from the character of the emigrants who followed the Masonian proprietors, he was probably of the better class, and perhaps of London. The Langs were always strongly affected toward Massa- chusetts ; for did not old John Lang sign the petition to be annexed thereto. This rever- ence for things Massachusetts finally blos- somed into fruitage some generations later, when a descendant of John, the signer, packed his belongings, and shook the dust of Newtown plains from his moccasins and be- took himself to the favored land. The story of the Langs will now be taken up in more fulness of detail.

(I) John Lang was at Strawberry bank, now Portsmouth, New Hampshire, in 1695. He signed the bond of his mother-in-law, Mary Brookin, who administered on her husband's estate. This indicates he was a man of some means. He was on a committee of partition in the estate of Aaron Moses, in 1733, and this also elicits the inference that he was a man of note and consequence in his community ; no dullard, no incompetent was appointed by the court to fill this office. He was a witness to the will of Captain John Pickering, a lawyer and noted character, to

which he made his mark. But that was noth- ing to his discredit. Penmanship in those days was confined to the clergymen and a few others. Captain Pickering called none but a substantial citizen to witness his will. His house was next to Francis Jones. He married, in 1695, Grace, daughter of William and Mary (Walford) Brooklin. Her grand- father, Thomas Walford, was one of Ma- son's stewards. Her grandmother, Jean Wal- ford, was accused of witchcraft, and this is the first and only instance where that fanati- cal delusion appeared in New Hampshire. She later sued her detractors for slander, and ob- tained a verdict.

"Portsmouth, April 21, 1707.

At a church meeting legally convened, it was voted that persons having a competent Knowledge and making of a serious pro. of ye Xian Religion & being of a conversation void of scandal upon yr owning yee cove- nant & subjecting themselves to yee govern- ment of X in the church, shall be admitted to baptism & have the like privilege for yr children."

Grace Lang owned the covenant 1708, and all her children received baptism.

(II) John (2), son of John (1) and Grace (Brookin) Lang, was born at Strawberry bank, or in that part of it now known as Greenland. It may be supposed that he bore a part in the resistance to the tyranny of the Masons, and was involved in the law- suits regarding the Masonian titles. He suf- fered like others from Indian molestations. He worked on the government fort then building at Portsmouth, perhaps the first harbor defence constructed in this country. He signed the peition in 1739 to have New Hampshire annexed to Massachusetts. He married Sarah Bickford.

(III) Thomas, son of John (2) and Sarah (Bickford) Lang, was born in Greenland, New Hampshire, lived and died in Lee, that state. He took up land in the new town of Lee, an arid and uninviting district to the north- ward, which was settled from the coastal re- gion, and was a farmer and charcoal-burner, marketing his product at Portsmouth. He married Mary Simpson.

(IV) Aaron, son of Thomas and Mary (Simpson) Lang, was born in Lee, September 14, 1797, died in Chicopee, Massachusetts. He married Rhoda, daughter of Aaron Leighton, of Nottingham, New Hampshire.

(V) Cyrus, son of Aaron and Rhoda (Leighton) Lang, was born in Lee, 1822, died

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in Springfield, 1882. He was a representa- tive and useful citizen of Chicopee and iden- tified with its interests. He married Ann M., daughter of Nathaniel and Bathsheba (Cart- ter) Gaylord, of West Springfield.

(VI) George Dexter, son of Cyrus and Ann (Gaylord) Lang, was born in Chicopee, December 18, 1857. He attended the public schools in Springfield, and at the age of six- teen entered the employment of the Massa- chusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company and has served in every department of the company, now occupying the position of as- sistant secretary and superintendent of agents. He is one of the leading life under- writers in this country, and the great success of this old and reliable company has been due to the selection of trusted and competent ser- vants, who have faithfully subserved its inter- ests. He was formally a member of the Nyassett, Winthrop and Springfield country clubs. He is Republican in politics, but has lived privately and taken no office. He mar- ried Ada, daughter of Isaac P. Dickinson ; one child, Ruth Dickinson Lang, born May, 1882, died aged three and a half months.

The Leighton line into which the Langs married in the fourth generation was from Thomas Leighton, an early emigrant to Ports- mouth before 1700. In this line was Celia Laighton Thaxter, the sweet island singer. Her father, Tom Laighton, soured at the world which he thought had ill-treated him, resigned his position as editor of a newspaper, retired to a lonely island, and secured the ap- pointment of lighthouse keeper. Here young Celia was reared in childhood, with no com- panions but books and the shells of the sea- shore her playmates. Her poetry possesses a wonderful charm in its simplicity, sweetness of idealism and delineation of sea and sky.

There is a tradition that the SICKMAN ancestor of the family here considered came to this coun- try as a soldier in the British army during the revolution and that after the war he settled in Pennsylvania and lived there to the end of his days. He came of German ancestors, held fast to the teachings of the Lutheran church, and recollections of him run to the effect that he was an industrious and useful citizen ; and after his death he was buried in the church- yard in Baldwin township. Beyond these in- teresting facts little else appears to be known of this ancestor, not so much even as his chris- tian name, nor the name of his wife nor the number of their children.

(II) Jacob Sickman, son of the soldier an- cestor, was born probably in the town of East- port in Pennsylvania, and lived during the greater part of his life in Baldwin township. He was a soldier in the American army dur- ing the second war with the mother country and fought in the battle of historic Lundy's Lane. In business life he was a farmer. He married Jane Kirkland, and by her had six children, John H., Barnet, Elizabeth, Joel, Isaac, John H., Hiram and Harriet.

(III) John Henry Sickman, son of Jacob and Jane (Kirkland) Sickman, was born in Baldwin township, Pennsylvania, about 1820, and from early youth made his own way in life. He earned the means with which to se- cure his early education and afterward became a carpenter and pattern maker, working many years at these occupations and afterward turn- ing his attention to farming in Snowden town- ship, where he died in 1886. Mr. Sickman is remembered as having been a strong aboli- tionist, and during the several years next pre- ceding the late civil war he was actively con- nected with the operation of the "underground railroad" by which fugitive slaves were trans- ported through the state of Pennsylvania to places of safety in states farther north and in the Canadas. Naturally he developed into a strong republican, and was a man of much in- fluence in the township in which he lived. He held various local offices of minor importance and for many years was commissioner of highways. In religious preference he was a Baptist. About the year 1847 Mr. Sickman married Martha Pomerine, daughter of Henry and Elizabeth (Boyer ) Pomerine, of Snowden township, and granddaughter of Jules Pom- erine, who was a sergeant of a company in one of the regiments that came to this country with General Lafayette to fight with the Americans during the war for independence. John Henry and Martha ( Pomerine) Sickman had three children, James Madison, Albert Franklin, and one other child who died in ex- treme infancy.

(IV) James Madison Sickman, son and eldest child of John Henry and Martha ( Pom- erine) Sickman, was born in Snowden town- ship, Alleghany county, Pennsylvania, Decem- ber 30, 1847, and received his early educa- tion in the common schools of his native town- ship. After leaving school he took up the study of civil and mining engineering under the instruction of Professor Stilly, of Jeffer- son College, and finished his course under F. N. Jarrett, of Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, se- curing a thorough practical as well as theo-

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Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of the state of Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 30

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848- Publication date: 1910 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 886

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed; Adams, William Frederick, 1848-
Publication date: 1910
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 886