Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part 28

Author: Hurd, Charles Edwin, 1833-1910
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Boston, New England historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 850

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dred and fifty years a portion of the original land owned by him is still in possession of his descendants. He d. October 15, 1683, at the advanced age of eighty-four years, having sur- vived his wife, Jane, whose death had occurred in October, 1675. He had three sons - Ed- ward, Thomas, and Henry - and two daughters - Elizabeth and Martha.

Edward2 Vose, the first child of Robert and Jane Vose, b. 1636, d. January 29, 1716. He m. before coming to Milton. Nathaniel3 Vose, b. November 17, 1672, in Milton, Mass., son of Edward2 above named, d. October 10, 1753. He was a Puritan in faith and practice, a man of great self-denial, educating his chil- dren in the most rigid manner of his sect. On account of his great familiarity with the Scriptures, from which he was fond of quoting, he was sometimes called "the walking Bible." He was so successful in tilling the soil that his name has been handed down as "Farmer Vose." He m. December 16, 1696, Mary Belcher, by whom he had six children.

Nathaniel4 Vose, Jr., b. March 31, 1699, son of Nathaniel and Mary (Belcher) Vose, d. December 18, 1751. He m. February 8, 1722, Rachel Bent. Their son Oliver, 5 who was b. February 10, 1735, m. first, in 1755, Elizabeth Babcock, and for his second wife Keziah Draper. Oliver Vose served in the Revolutionary War, holding the rank of Cap- tain in Colonel Robinson's regiment (see State Archives). The company marched to Rox- bury after the fight at Concord, and there served before the completion of the standing army.

John,6 the eldest son of Oliver and Eliza- beth (Babcock) Vose, was b. May 21, 1756, in Milton, Mass. He m. Melatiah Davenport, by whom he had several children. After re- siding for a time at Milton, he removed to Roxbury. Thence between 1780 and 1783 he went to Washington, N. H., and settled on the south-easterly slope of Lovell's Mountain, where he built a log house and cleared a farm. Four years later he erected, a few rods east of his log house, a frame house, the cellar of which can be seen at the present time. An enterprising farmer, he was also a good citizen and a religious man, being a Deacon in the

Congregational church. He served in the Revolutionary War, his name appearing in the State Archives as that of a fifer in Oliver Vose's company, Colonel Robinson's regiment, already mentioned; also as that of a drummer in Captain Vose's company, Colonel Heath's regiment, enlisted October 5, 1775, encamped at Fort No. 2. He resided in Washington, N. H., till about 1810, when he returned to Milton, Mass., where he d. October 1, 1825.

Whiting7 Vose, seventh child of John and Melatiah (Davenport) Vose, was b. February 24, 1789, in Washington, N. H. He resided in Milton, Mass., and carried on business as a fruit canner and manufacturer of jellies. He m. November 30, 1817, Mary Gooch, daughter of James Gooch. She bore him three chil- dren : James Whiting, whose name begins this sketch; George, b. May 15, 1820; and Mary Elizabeth, b. January 6, 1824. He d. at Mil- ton, May 13, 1853. His wife d. October 22, I 864.

James Whiting8 Vose was educated in the public schools and at Milton Academy, where he was graduated with honors in the spring of 1834. Immediately after leaving school, on April 17, he was apprenticed to learn cabinet- making. He worked at this trade till the au- tumn of 1839, when, on his twenty-first birth- day, he entered the piano factory of Brown & Hallet as a workman. He soon acquired skill in various departments, and in 1846 began making piano and organ keys on his own account. In this branch of industry he was remarkably successful, and his work was sought by the best manufacturers. But his ambition was to make a finished piano; and in 1851 he started in a small way, completing his first instrument before the close of that year. In 1855, in order to devote his attention exclu- sively to his piano interests, he sold out his key business, and since that time has been engaged wholly in the development and man- ufacture of the Vose piano. From the first he has followed closely every detail of the work, overseeing each process, constantly experiment- ing, carefully studying each new principle as it has appeared, and, if satisfied of its worth, promptly adopting it. Under his conduct the manufacture has grown from an output of two

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pianos a week in 1855 from a small factory to an average in 1900 of fifty per week from one of the largest establishments of its kind in the country, comprising four great buildings on Waltham and Washington Streets at the South End, Boston, two of five stories each, one of seven, and one of four stories, with a total floorage of one hundred and twenty-nine thou- sand square feet and an aggregate area under plant of one hundred and thirty-eight thousand square feet. "Their instruments, of which tens of thousands have been sold, have always been distinguished for their artistic and at- tractive appearance, their great reliability, and their sweet, musical, and powerful tone. They are generally conceded to rank among the most popular of the first-class, high- grade pianos made, and are sold all over the country by the most representative and distinguished firms" (Music Trades).

Mr. Vose is a member of the Massachusetts Charitable Mechanic Association, of the An- cient and Honorable Artillery Company, and of the Bostonian Society. In politics a Re- publican, he is a member of the Republican Club of Massachusetts, of the Brookline Repub- lican Club, and of the Boston Marketmen's Republican Club. In religion he is a Baptist, connected with the Brookline Baptist Society and a member of the Baptist Social Union.

He was married September 16, 1847, to Miss Almira Howe, a native of Charlestown, Mass., and a daughter of Jonathan Howe. Mr. and Mrs. Vose have had five children - Francis Childs, Irving Bond, Willard Ather- ton, Julien Wallenstein, and Frances Howe Vose. Francis Childs, born August, 1848, died at the age of ten years. Frances Howe, born May 24, 1862, is living with her parents. Irving Bond, Willard Atherton, and Julien Wallenstein are associated with their father in the piano business. Irving Bond, born May 13, 1850, first entered the factory in 1869 as superintendent. He married first Annie L. French, who died in 1897, leaving one child, Madge Whiting, born January 19, 1896. For his second wife he married June 24, 1900, Clara Edith Walther, by whom he has one child, Norma Bond, born May 26, 1901.

Willard Atherton, born November 20, 1851,

after serving his apprenticeship became gen- eral superintendent of the factory, and since 1889 has been the treasurer of the company. He married Emma Perley, and they have two children : Florence Perley, born June 16, 1875 ; and George Atherton, born December 11, 1876. Julien, born October 5, 1860, entering the factory in 1882, became superintendent of the works in 1889, the year of the incorporation of the company. He married Anne Pease, daugh- ter of Joseph Thaxter, May 14, 1884. Their children are : Edna Wallenstein, born May 18, 1886; Leroy Whiting, born September 6, 1887; and Elsie, born July 27, 1890.

HESTER SPRAGUE, of Watertown, Mass., was born December 26, 1850, in Dedham, Mass., a son of Samuel and Mary (Kingsbury) Sprague and a descendant in the seventh generation of the immigrant ancestor, William Sprague, the founder of this family of Spragues.

William1 Sprague, according to tradition, arrived at Salem, Mass., in 1629, was an in- habitant of Charlestown in January, 1635-6, removed to Hingham the next summer or autumn, and there served as Selectman in 1645. He m. in 1635 Milicent, daughter of Anthony Eames. Anthony2 Sprague, their eldest son, named for his maternal grand- father, was baptized in Charlestown, May 23, 1636. He d. September 3, 1719. During King Philip's War his house was burned by the Indians. In 1664 he m. Elizabeth Bartlett, daughter of Robert and Mary (Warren) Bart- lett and grand-daughter of Richard Warren, who came in the "Mayflower," and settled at Plymouth in 1620.

Jeremiah3 Sprague, b. July 24, 1682, son of Anthony2 and his wife, Elizabeth, d. in March, 1759. He m. Priscilla Knight; and their son, Jeremiah4 Sprague, b. in Hingham, De- cember 18, 1714, m. December 19, 1739, Elizabeth Whiton. Myles Standish5 Sprague, son of this couple, b. in Hingham in February, 1762, removed when a young man to Worces- ter, Mass., subsequently settling permanently in Watertown. He was what one might term a "learned shoemaker," being well-read in

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many lines of study. On September 29, 1793, he m. Peggy Lincoln, daughter of John and Lydia (Jacob) Lincoln, of Hingham. Her father, John+ Lincoln, was a descendant in the fourth generation of Samuel' Lincoln, who settled at Hingham in 1637. The line was : Samuel, 1-2-3 John4. The descent of President Abraham Lincoln from Samuel' was through his fourth-born son, Mordecai,2 brother of Samuel, 2 above named.

Samuel6 Sprague, son of Myles and Peggy, was b. in Worcester, Mass., but was reared in Watertown, whither his parents removed when he was but two years old. He m. Mary Kingsbury, who was b. on an island in the Charles River, and was a daughter of Jonathan Kingsbury, a native of Needham, Mass. Seven children were the fruit of their union; namely, Ellen Frances, Mary Elizabeth, Theodore S., Chester, Charles, Franklin, and Margaret.

Ellen Frances Sprague, b. in Dedham, Mass., in 1834, was graduated at the Framing- ham State Normal School when but eighteen years of age, and was appointed at once prin- cipal of the model department of that school. In 1856 she became a teacher in the public schools of Indianapolis, Ind., but was soon induced to resign her position to become an instructor in the Methodist College of that city. She subsequently spent one year in the public schools of Portsmouth, Ohio, and three years in Hamilton, Ohio. Returning to Mas- sachusetts, she taught for a time in the high school in Canton. Going then to Brooklyn, N. Y., she remained there as one of the faculty of Packer College until her marriage, being an active member of Plymouth Church, Henry Ward Beecher pastor, and also a member of the choir of that church. On October 1, 1868, Miss Sprague m. Sylvanus J. Upton. He d. August 8, 1895, leaving her with two sons, namely : Ernest, b. October 10, 1869, who is unmarried and resides with her in Chelsea; and Julian Sprague, a contractor and builder, now in business at North Falmouth, Mass.

Mary Elizabeth Sprague is the widow of the late Emulus Godding, a soldier in the Civil War, who d. leaving her with two children - Herbert and Harry. Theodore S. Sprague, a member of the Third Maine Cavalry, d. in the

Civil War. Charles Sprague, a resident of Watertown, Mass., m. Susan Ford, and they have three children, namely : Lester and Will- iam, who are both in the United States navy ; and Albert, who is attending the public schools of Watertown.

Chester7 Sprague was but four years old when his parents moved to Chesterville, Me., where he received the rudiments of his educa- tion, which was completed in the schools of Canton, Mass. Subsequently learning the carpenter's trade, he worked for a few years as a journeyman in New England. Giving up his trade for a while, he went West to seek his fortune, and for five years followed ranch life in Kansas, at the end of that time being glad to return home, no worse off financially than when he left. Taking up his residence in Watertown, he established himself as a car- penter, and during the ensuing years carried on very extensive building operations, erecting nearly one-third of the newer dwelling-houses in the town. In 1893 he embarked in the retail lumber business, in which he is conduct- ing an extensive and profitable trade. He is one of the trustees of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Watertown. On June 16, 1876, Mr. Sprague married Elvira Albertina Davis, who was born in Wakefield, N. H., a daughter of John Davis. Mr. and Mrs. Sprague have three children, namely: Edna Lincoln, who is the wife of William Harris, of Taunton, Mass., and the mother of one child, Hilda; Percy, who was graduated at Harvard College in the class of 1900; and Helen Richardson, a pupil in the public schools of Watertown.

G EORGE FOX TUCKER, PH. D., lawyer and author, of Barrister's Hall, Pemberton Square, Boston, is a native of New Bedford, Bristol County, Mass., and representative of a family that settled at Dartmouth, of which New Bedford was for- merly a part, as long ago as 1660, has contin- ued its residence in that vicinity, and has been prominent from the beginning in the Society of Friends.

According to the Tucker Genealogy by Ephraim Tucker (a member of the Worcester

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Society of Antiquity), published in 1895, Henry' Tucker, of Dartmouth, b. in 1619, in Devonshire, was probably a cousin of Robert1 Tucker, of Milton, Mass. Henry Tucker was at Milton in 1663; he bought land at Dart- mouth in 1669, and d. there in 1694. He m. his wife Martha in 1652, N.S .; and their son John, 2 b. in 1656, m. in 1688 Ruth Wool- ley, daughter of Emmanuel and Elizabeth Woolley, of Shrewsbury, N. J., formerly of Newport, R. I. John2 Tucker was for more than fifty years an approved and influential minister of the Friends. He d. in 1751, aged ninety-five years; and his wife d. in 1759, at the age of ninety-six. Their son Joseph, 3 b. in 1696, m. in 1720 Mary Howland, daughter of Nicholas3 (son of Zoeth2 and grandson of Henry the immigrant, who was at Plymouth as early as 1633) and his wife, Hannah Wood- man. John+ Tucker, son of Joseph3 and Mary, m. in 1756 Lydia Wilbur, of Little Compton, R. I., and after her death m., in 1769, Rhoda Wing, daughter of Benjamin Wing, of Dart- mouth. (Howland Genealogy. )

Benjamin5 Tucker, b. in 1781, son of John4 and his second wife, Rhoda, d. in 1861. He m., in 1802, Lucretia, daughter of Elijah and Hannah (Brayton) Russell, of Dartmouth. Benjamin5 and Lucretia had three children; namely, John, Rhoda, and Charles Russell. Charles Russell6 Tucker was for a long period one of the leading merchants of New Bedford, being actively engaged in business forty-five years. He and his father were largely con- cerned in the early part of last century in the founding and development of the whaling fish- ery of New Bedford. He was president of the Merchants' National Bank of New Bedford. He m. September 19, 1833, Dorcas Fry, daughter of John and Lydia (Earle) Fry, of Bolton. John Fry was a prominent member of the Society of Friends at Bolton. Lydia Earle belonged to the old Worcester family of that name. Charles Russell and Dorcas (Fry) Tucker were the parents of eight children, namely : Benjamin Russell, b. in 1835, who d. in 1836; Benjamin, second, b. in 1836; John Fry, b. in 1839, d. in 1886; Henry Rus- sell, b. in 1842, d. in 1872; Charles Russell, Jr., b. in 1844, d. in 1891; Robert Earle, b.

in 1846, d. in 1873; Edward Tobey, b. Sep- tember 29, 1849; and George Fox, the special subject of this biographical sketch, who was b. January 19, 1852. Edward Tobey, in ac- cordance with a time-honored custom of devot- ing one son in a family to the medical pro- fession, was educated as a physician (Harvard Medical School, Doctor of Medicine, 1874), and is now engaged in practice in New Bed- ford. He m. Anna E. Pope and has had four children.

George Fox Tucker, whose name is signifi- cant of his birthright in the Friends' commun- ion, was educated at the Friends' Academy, New Bedford, the Friends' Boarding School, Providence, R. I., and at Brown University, where he was graduated as Bachelor of Arts in 1873. He then studied law in the office of George Marston and William W. Crapo, of New Bedford, and at the Law School of Boston University, and received the degree of Bache- lor of Law in 1875. Admitted to the Bristol County bar in 1876, he thereupon began prac- tice in New Bedford. Removing his office to Boston in 1882, he became associated with his former preceptor, the Hon. George Marston, then attorney general of Massachusetts. In 1892 he was appointed reporter of the deci- sions of the Supreme Judicial Court of this State.

Mr. Tucker is the author of several legal publications which have become widely and favorably known. The first of these, issued in 1884, is "A Manual of Wills," the Massachu- setts law being accepted as authority ; the sec- ond, a monograph on "The Monroe Doctrine." In 1888 appeared a manual relating to the formation and management of mercantile and manufacturing corporations ; and in 1889 "Notes on the United States Revised Stat- utes," prepared by him in association with John M. Gould. This volume has had a very large circulation. In 1891 Mr. Tucker pub- lished his first novel, "A Quaker Home," the scene of which is laid in New Bedford; in 1895, through Little, Brown & Co., another legal work, "Your Will, How to Make It." Mr. Tucker continues a resident of New Bed- ford. He served on the School Committee in 1881, and represented the city in the lower

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branch of the Legislature in 1890, 1891 and 1892, serving on the Committees on Bills in the third reading, and on Rules and Consti- tutional Amendments. In 1891, in recogni- tion of his literary work, he received from Brown University the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. He is a member of the St. Bo- tolph, and was formerly of the University and the Press Clubs of Boston, and is now a mem- ber of the Wamsutta Club, of New Bedford. He is not married. He published in Sep- tember, 1901, in conjunction with George G. Wilson, Ph. D., of Brown University, a book on International Law.

YMAN BEECHER JORDAN, a prom- inent business man of Malden, Mass., was born at Durham, Me., June 16, 1849, son of Secomb and Jane (Hoyt) Jordan. He is a lineal descendant in the eighth generation of the Rev. Robert Jor- dan, an English clergyman, who had charge of the Episcopal church at Richmond's Island, Me., as early as 1641.

The name Jordan as here written exists in England, Ireland, and Wales. There are also families who spell it Jordaine, Jardayne, Jor- den, Jordin, Jordon. The Jordon who first settled in Wales was of Anglo-Norman origin, one of the companions of Martine de Tours in the time of the Conquest. A Robert Jordan m. a Miss Cohers in Blandford, County of Dorset, and had a son Robert, who became a merchant in Melcomb, Dorsetshire, and who m., it is supposed, into the Fitzpen or Phip- pen family. Their coat of arms was nine daggers on a shield, with a lion rampant in the centre. The Dorsetshire and Somerset- shire families have on their shields a lion rampant, while the Wiltshire families have a bent arm holding a dagger. (See Jordan Me- morial. )

The line of descent from the Rev. Robert' Jordan continued through Samuel,2 Samuel, 3 Noah,4 Secomb,5 Apollos,6 Secomb,7 to Ly- man Beecher8.

It is probable that the Rev. Robert Jordan came to New England in 1639 from Dorset- shire or Devonshire. He m. at Richmond's

Island Sarah, only child of John Winter, who d. in 1645, leaving a large and valuable estate, of which Mr. Jordan was made administrator. By his marriage with Sarah Winter he became a great land proprietor, and as such "failed not to exert his power and influence in favor of his church and politics." He subse- quently removed from the island to the main land, where he settled on that part of the Winter plantation called Spurwink, a name retained until the present day, it being a part of Falmouth, now called Cape Elizabeth. He there served as a judge for many years. Dur- ing the second Indian War he was compelled to flee hastily from Spurwink, probably leav- ing all his papers in his house, which was in flames before he was out of sight. He went to Great Island in the Piscataqua River, the town being now New Castle, then a part of Portsmouth, N. H. Active, enterprising, and well educated, for more than thirty years the Rev. Robert Jordan was influential in the affairs of the town and province. He d. at New Castle in 1679, in the sixty-eighth year of his age. He left six sons.

Samuel2 Jordan, the fifth son, b. about 1660, at Spurwink in Falmouth, now Cape Eliza- beth, Me., d. at Kittery, Me., in 1720. He left Spurwink with his father in 1675, and never returned to the place of his birth, but settled permanently at Kittery. Samuel3 Jor- dan, Jr., b. at Kittery about 1690, eldest child of Samuel,2 was engaged in agricultural pursuits during his active life, living at Kit- tery and Falmouth. His first wife, Mary, d. in 1730, leaving one child, a son Noah. His second wife, Frances Cranch, whom he m. on March 2, 1733, d. without issue.

Noah4 Jordan, b. at Kittery, Me., August 17, 1722, d. at Cape Elizabeth, Me., October 7, 1804. On December 3, 1748, he m. Sarah Morrill, daughter of John Morrill. She was b. December 25, 1729, and d. March 13, 1813. Their children were: Samuel, Martha, Noah, Jr., Secomb, and Morrill -all b. at Cape Elizabeth.

Secombs Jordan, the fourth child, b. in 1764, d. August 1, 1825, in Durham, Me. He was a farmer and a country store-keeper. He resided in different towns, settling first in

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Durham, then in Lisbon, removing from there to Brunswick, whence he returned to Durham, where he spent the remainder of his life. He was active in public affairs, serving at one time as Deputy Sheriff, was Selectman 1813- 20, and was a Representative to General Court in 1812 and 1821. His wife, Sarah Robin- son, whom he m. July 15, 1787, d. in 1827. They had eight children, three of whom - namely, Apollos, Rhoda, and Eleanor - grew to adult age and m.

Apollos6 Jordan, b. December 24, 1788, followed farming at Durham, Me., where his death occurred November 20, 1827, at the age of thirty-nine years. On November 29, 1811, he m. Sarah, daughter of Joshua and Ann (Simonton) Miller, of Cape Elizabeth. She was b. in 1793, and d. at the age of ninety- three years. Six children were b. of their union, namely: Rufus; Secomb; Elizabeth ; Abigail M .; Sarah Ann; and Albion K. P. Jordan, of Concord, Mass., who is the only one of the six now living.

Secomb7 Jordan, b. at Durham, Me., April 27, 1814, d. May 21, 1889. He m. first, December 31, 1840, Jane Hoyt, who was b. April 27, 1814, and d. March 29, 1860. She was a daughter of John Hoyt, Jr., and grand- daughter of John Hoyt, Sr. Her grandfather, the son of an earlier John Hoyt, was b. at Scar- boro, Me., in the block-house in 1738. He was a mariner in early life, but was afterward engaged in farming, settling in Royalsboro as early as 1773, and dying there in Septem- ber, 1823. He m. January 17, 1765, Anna Hasty, who also was b. in the block-house in Scarboro, her birth occurring in 1744. She was a daughter of William Hasty. She d. in 1825, having borne her husband seven chil- dren, John, Jr., being the third child. John Hoyt, Jr., was b. December 25, 1774. On November 29, 1802, he m. Molly Gerrish, by whom he had seven children, Jane being the youngest. He m. second, October 18, 1862, Mary C. Hoyt, of Yarmouth, Me., who d. Jan- uary 4, 1886. No children were b. of the sec- ond union. By his first marriage there were five children, all b. in Durham, Me., Lyman Beecher being the fourth. Elizabeth, 8 the el- dest child, b. October 13, 1841, m. September

6, 1863, the late Rufus York, son of Samuel York, of Farmington, Me. John Quincy, 8 b. October 9, 1843, m. December 10, 1868, at Lewiston, Me., Mary Smith, daughter of George W. and Sarah Jane Lane, of Skowhe- gan, Me. Ferdinand,8 b. August 24, 1845, m. October 10, 1872, Frankie P., daughter of Dudley Bean, of Jay, Me. Ada B.,8 the youngest child, b. December 23, 1853, d. in February, 1876.

Lyman Beecher8 Jordan received a practical education in the schools of his native town. Leaving home at the age of eighteen years, he went to Lewiston, Me., to learn the builder's trade with the late George Hanson. Coming to Massachusetts before attaining his majority, he settled in Malden in 1869, and started in business for himself as a contractor and builder in 1874. He has been very successful, doing more than any other one man toward adding to the architectural beauty of Malden. He has erected many fine residences at the West End, selling them before they were completed, showing that houses of his construction are greatly in demand. Employing a large num- ber of men, he enjoys their confidence to a marked degree, never having labor troubles of any kind. For more than twenty-one years Mr. Jordan had full charge of the entire prop- erty of the late Thomas Dowling in Central Square, resigning the care of the same on account of the pressure of his own business two years after the death of Mr. Dowling. He is a director in the Malden Co-operative Bank, a position he has held since its organization, and is one of the directorate of the Malden Trust Company. A Republican in politics, in 1897 he represented Ward Three in the Com- mon Council. He is a member of the Kern- wood Club of Malden.

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Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part 28

Author: Hurd, Charles Edwin, 1833-1910 Publication date: 1902 Publisher: Boston, New England historical publishing company Number of Pages: 850

Author: Hurd, Charles Edwin, 1833-1910
Publication date: 1902
Publisher: Boston, New England historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 850