Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part 51

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

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was "marked off " for the brothers - Ezekiel, Thomas, and Samuel - on "Misticke side and above the Ponds," in what is now Malden. November 5, 1640, they with four others were chosen by the Charlestown church as commis- sioners for the founding of a new church and town within the limits of Charlestown, and their labors in that direction resulted in the incorporation on May 18, 1642, of the town of Woburn, which was named for a place in Bedfordshire, England. The three brothers established their residences near each other on what is still known as "Richardson's Row." Samuel was a Selectman of Woburn for the years 1644, 1645, 1646, 1650, and 1651. In 1645 he was the largest taxpayer in the town. His wife Joanna joined the Charlestown church in 1639. Their children were : Mary, baptized 1637-8; John, baptized 1639; Han- nah (d. in infancy) ; Joseph, b. in 1643; Sam- uel,2 b. 1646; Stephen, b. 1649; Thomas, b. 1651, d. in 1657; and Elizabeth. Samuel' Richardson d. intestate. The recorded inven- tory of his estate, dated March 29, 1658, shows that his widow Joanna, and eldest son, John, were appointed administrators. Joanna's will, dated June 20, 1666, was not probated until 1677.

Samuel2 Richardson (b. May 22, 1646, d. April 29, 1712) resided upon what is now known as the "Miller farm," in Winchester. He served in King Philip's War. He was four times m. His first wife, Martha, d. in 1673. His second, Hannah Kingsley, with her in- fant daughter and only child, Hannah, only a week old, was killed by the Indians April 10, 1676, his son Thomas sharing the same cruel fate. His third wife, Phebe Baldwin, d. in 1679. His fourth, Sarah Hayward (or Howard), d. in 1717. The children of his first union were: Samuel and Thomas (twins), b. in 1670; Elizabeth, b. about 1672; and Martha, b. in 1673, d. in 1677. The only child of his third union was Zachariah, b. in 1677. His fourth wife, Sarah, bore him nine children, namely: Thomas, b. in 1681, d. in infancy; Sarah, b. 1682; Thomas (second), b. 1684; Ebenezer, b. in 1686-7; infant son, b. 1689, d. same day; Hannah, b. 1690; Eleazar, b. 1692-3; Jonathan, b. 1696; and David, b.

1 700. The will of Samuel2 Richardson, made in 1709-10, was proved in 1712.

Samuel3 Richardson, b. November 5, 1670, d. September 3, 1754. He was a prominent citizen of Woburn in his day, serving for many years as a Selectman, and as a Repre- sentative to the General Court for the years 1732-33. In 1728 he was chosen with Cap- tain Caleb Blodget and Captain John Fowle, a trustee to receive the town's portion of a loan of sixty thousand pounds made by the provin- cial government to the several towns, to be by them "let out." In 1703-4 he m. for his first wife Susanna, 4 daughter of his cousin, John3 Richardson. She d. in 1726. His second wife, Esther, d. in 1764. He was the father of eight children - Samuel, Thomas, Ebene- zer, Uriah, Susanna, Elizabeth, Zachariah, and Martha. All were of his first union, and their births took place between the years 1704 and 1725. The will of Samuel3 divides his prop- erty between his sons Thomas and Zachariah.

Zachariah+ Richardson (b. May 21, 1720, d. November 22, 1804) was an extensive land holder, owning real estate in Stoneham and in Lincoln County, Maine, as well as in Woburn. By his will his son Jesse inherited the greater part of his property. On May 10, 1744, he m. Phebe Wyman, a descendant in the fourth generation of the emigrant Thomas' Richard- son, above mentioned. She d. August 3, 1809. Their children - b. between the years 1745 and 1766 - were: Zachariah, Phebe, Su- sanna, John, Ruth, Jesse, Anna, Jesse (second), Phebe (second), and Anna (second).

Jesse5 Richardson (b. August 20, 1761, d. February 12, 1837) resided in South Woburn, now Winchester. He served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. On December 7, 1781, he m. Submit Brown, who was b. in 1763, and d. in 1836. Their children were : Jesse, who is the next in line of descent, and the father of Nathaniel A. Richardson; Zach- ariah, b. December 6, 1784, m. Esther Wy- man; Phebe, b. March 14, 1787, m. Elijah Davis; John, b. August 23, 1789, m. Lucy Frost, of Andover; Submit Brown, b. Novem- ber 5, 1791, m. Rufus Thompson; Desire Hartwell, b. November 4, 1794, m. Joshua Cummings; Ruth Brown, b. December 9,

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1797, m. Dennis Buckman; and Samuel, b. February 6, 1800, m. for his first wife Harriet Richardson, and for his second, Susanna B. Pearson.

Jesse6 Richardson, son of Jesses and Submit, was b. in South Woburn, July 28, 1782. He d. December 11, 1843. At the time of his marriage in 1810 to Lora Stevens, daughter of the Rev. John Hathaway Stevens, of Stone- ham, there were four other Jesse Richardsons in Woburn, and he was Jesse "the fifth." He had five children, namely : Almira, b. Febru- ary 12, 1812; John Hathaway, b. January 2, 1815; Lora, b. June 10, 1818, d. May 18, 1819; Nathaniel Andrew, whose name with birth date begins this sketch; and Darius Ste- vens, b. September 6, 1833, d. December 27, 1855. Almira m. Calvin Cass. John m. Susan Hall.

Nathaniel Andrew7 Richardson's educational opportunities were undoubtedly equal to those of any country lad in easy circumstances. At all events, his school training was sufficient to sharpen his intelligence and develop natural ability, which has on various occasions proved of a superior quality. His aptitude for busi- ness displayed itself at an early age to such an extent as to cause his selection to office by his fellow-townsmen, whose conservatism up to that time had invariably prompted them to choose men of mature years for the public ser- vice. As a Representative in the State Legis- Jature when but twenty-one years old, he at once became the centre of public attention as the youngest member of that body, and he served with marked ability during the sessions of 1842, 1843, and 1844, having as colleagues such men as Henry Wilson, George S. Bout- well, George T. Bigelow, Peleg W. Chandler, Charles Theodore Russell, Leverett Salton- stall, Charles Francis Adams, Richard Froth- ingham, and many others of more than ordinary note. The Democratic simplicity of that day is minutely described by Mr. Richardson him- self, as follows : "I dressed about the same as the average country members. My overcoat cost nine dollars, suit of clothes ten dollars, boots (thick ones) two dollars; my cap - cloth, with fur band around it -one dollar and seventy-five cents. I rode into Boston, taking

my trunk with me, with Jacob Skinner, who ran a two-horse baggage wagon daily to the city. I stopped at Bryant's Hotel, then in Union Street; charge, five dollars a week. Could not pay that ; went to a private house on Hanover Street, and paid three dollars per week for board and lodging. The pay of a Representative at this time was two dollars per day."

Mr. Richardson served as Assessor and Col- lector of Taxes in Woburn, as Postmaster at South Woburn for six years, Collector of Taxes in Winchester six years, treasurer four years, Selectman two years, Superintendent of Streets nine years, and has held other responsible positions. He was commissioned a Justice of the Peace in 1851 by Governor Boutwell, and recommissioned by Governor Banks in 1858. At the recommendation of Senator Henry Wil- son, President Lincoln appointed him Com- missary of Subsistence, with the rank of Cap- tain of Cavalry, and as such he had charge of the general cattle herds of the army of the James. During the Civil War he saw much hard service, was present at several important battles, and on one occasion was highly com- plimented by General Hancock, whose hungry troops, while fighting in front of Petersburg, he relieved by arriving just in time with a supply of stores. He was mustered out of service with the rank of Brevet Major in 1866, and, although solicited to retain his commis- sion as a regular army officer, he declined. For a period of five years he held the position of weigher and gauger in the Boston Custom House. His estate is a part of the original property of his ancestor Samuel' Richardson, and has never been alienated from the family.

On April 17, 1845, Mr. Richardson married Hannah Hall, who was born in October, 1819, daughter of David and Alice Hall, of Barring- ton, N. H. Six children were the fruit of this union, namely : Zanoni, born March 10, 1846, died August 15, 1899; Viola Alice, born Oc- tober 27, 1847; Flora Hall, born September 20, 1850, died in infancy; Nathaniel Andrew, born May 28, 1853, also died in infancy ; Flora Hall (second), born August 10, 1855, died in infancy; and Lora Hall, born May 22, 1860, died March 12, 1874. Viola Alice was mar-

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ried December 23, 1869, to George Warren Richardson, who was born in South Woburn in 1842, son of Joseph P. and Elizabeth H. Rich- ardson. Mrs. Hannah Hall Richardson died May 2, 1901, after fifty-six years of married life.

In the Legislature Mr. Richardson was known as the "boy member," and several of his speeches in that body were printed in full in the newspapers of that day. He delivered many stump speeches during the Harrison campaign in 1840, and thirty-six years later advocated in a similar manner the election of Rutherford B. Hayes to the Presidency, speak- ing in Maine, Rhode Island, New York, Ohio, and elsewhere. On the occasion of the fif- tieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town of Winchester, April 30, 1900, he deliv- ered at the Calumet Club House an interesting address, largely reminiscent, rich in local historical allusion and anecdote. Mr. Rich- ardson's contributions to the newspapers com- prise a history of Winchester and many of its people from its incorporation. Henry Wilson, in his work entitled "The Rise and Fall of Slavery," speaks in complimentary terms of Mr. Richardson and his work in the anti- slavery cause.

JUGENE TOMPKINS, of Boston, is the only surviving son of the late Orlando Tompkins, and was born in this city on September 28, 1850. His father, Orlando Tompkins, was b. in the town of Westport, Bristol County, Mass., but moved while young (in December, 1818) to Adamsville, in the town of Little Compton, R.I. Orlando's par- ents were Nathaniel and Betsey (Hicks) Tompkins. Nathaniel Tompkins, native of Little Compton, where he owned a farm, lived for some time at Westport, Mass. He was a whale ship owner, associated with Andrew Hicks and John Hicks, of New Bedford. He was a lineal descendant of Nathaniel' Tomp- kins, who m. at Little Compton about 1674 Elizabeth3 Waters. His wife, Betsey Hicks, was a lineal descendant of Thomas Hicks, of Dartmouth, Mass., who was a grandson of Robert' Hicks, who came over in the "Fort- une" in 1621.

Orlando Tompkins, came to Boston in his youth, and was apprenticed to William Brown, druggist, whose store was at. the corner of Washington and Eliot Streets. He remained in the employ of Mr. Brown until he had obtained a thorough knowledge of the business and had earned money enough to start himself in trade. This he did about the year 1845, buying out Andrew J. Almy, and opening a drug store at 271 Washington Street, corner of Winter Street, where he carried on a prosper- ous business for many years. As time went on, Mr. Tompkins engaged to some extent in real estate operations. In 1864, in company with B. W. Thayer, he became a stockholder in the Boston Theatre, and in 1871 was known to the public as one of the proprietors of that magnificent house of entertainment. Messrs. Thayer and Tompkins shortly acquired a con- trolling interest in the theatre, Mr. Tompkins taking the active management with most grat- ifying results. He had a natural taste for theatricals, and was an excellent judge of acting. He was also a keen and honorable business man; and the property, before unre- munerative, became a paying investment. Mr. Thayer died in December, 1875, and his inter- est was purchased by Noble H. Hill, the firm becoming Tompkins & Hill. Dr. Tompkins, as he was called by courtesy, had a large circle of friends, who appreciated his many excellent traits of character. The services of his purse, his company, and his theatre were freely offered for worthy purposes. He died from rheumatism of the heart November 29, 1884. His funeral services were conducted by the Rev. Edward Everett Hale. Orlando Tompkins was m. in September, 1843, at Church Green, cor- ner of Summer and Bedford Streets, by the Rev. Alexander Young, to Frances Henrietta Viles, daughter of Nathan and Nancy (Read) Viles and grand-daughter of the Hon. John Read, of Roxbury. At the same time and place William A. Viles married Eliza W. Fowle, daughter of William A. Fowle, the clergyman being the Rev. Nathaniel Frothing- ham, this being the first double wedding on record in Boston. Two children were b. to Mr. Tompkins, namely : Arthur Gordon, who d. in 1892, aged forty-five years, unmarried;

ORLANDO TOMPKINS.

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and Eugene, whose birth date is mentioned above. Mrs. Orlando Tompkins is still a resi- dent of Boston. Her father, Nathan Viles, was a son of Joel Viles, of Lexington, a Revo- lutionary soldier.

In the State archives the name of Joel Viles appears on the muster and pay roll of Captain John Bridges's company, Colonel Eleazer Brooks's regiment; service three days, March 4 to March 8, 1776; stationed at Roxbury. Corporal, Captain John Parker's company, enlisted June 17, 1775, discharged June 18, service two days; town of Lexington; also May 6, 1775, to May 10, five days guarding at Cambridge. Private, Captain Abraham Peirce's company, Colonel Brooks's regiment, enlisted January 12, 1778, discharged Febru- ary 3, twenty-two days; and enlisted Febru- ary 3, 1778, discharged April 3, two months; regiment doing guard duty at Cambridge. Private, Captain Abijah Childs's company, Colonel Thomas Gardner's regiment; enlisted May 2, 1775; service ninety-one days; mus- ter-roll dated August 1, 1775; town Waltham; and October, 1775, private, Captain Childs's company, Lieutenant Colonel Brooks's regi- ment, late Gardner's (Thirty-seventh Regiment, foot) ; town Waltham.

Eugene Tompkins was educated at the Chauncy Hall School, Boston. At the age of seventeen he began business life as clerk in the office of Harding, Gray & Dewey, wool merchants, with whom he remained until Jan- uary 1, 1876. In August of that year he be- came connected with the management of the Boston Theatre as his father's assistant. He developed a remarkable capacity for the busi- ness, and was soon placed in charge of the stage productions. After his father's death he became partner of Noble H. Hill, the firm name then being Hill & Tompkins. Mr. Hill died in February, 1886, and in May of that year Mr. Tompkins purchased the interest of the Hill estate in the theatre. He was at times also lessee and manager of the Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York, and the Park Theatre, Boston, and is still half-owner of the Academy of Music, the largest theatre in New York.

The advent of Mr. Tompkins into theatrical

management was signalized by the beginning of a long series of dramatic and spectacular productions, greater in extent and lavishness than had ever been seen in America, and his name soon became known all over the land. From his office in Boston he directed the tours of many theatrical stars and companies, some- times managing three theatres and four or five travelling companies at the same time.

Mr. Tompkins has won for himself an envi- able position in his line of business, and has become a very successful man from a financial standpoint. He is an enthusiastic yachtsman, and is a member of the Eastern, New York, and other yacht clubs. He was the owner of the "Illawarra," one of the few yachts selected by the United States officials for use in the late war with Spain, she being sold by him to the government. He then built his present yacht,. the "Idalia". She is constructed of steel, schooner-rigged, one hundred and sev- enty-six feet over all, one hundred and forty- two feet water line, twenty-one feet six inches beam, thirteen feet depth of hold, and ten feet draught. A writer in the Rudder (a leading yachting journal) has said of the "Idalia," "She is a beautiful example of what can be done with proper judgment in the fittings and interior decorations toward perfect harmony."

Mr. Tompkins is a member of Eleusis Lodge, F. & A. M., and St. Bernard Com- mandery, K. T. He belongs to the following clubs : the Algonquin, Boston Art, Boston Athletic, Brookline Country, Gentlemen's Driving, Oakley Country, Exchange, Players', the Beacon Society, the Bostonian Society, and the Temple Club, the oldest social club in New England, of which he is president.

In April, 1884, he married Gertrude Gris- wold, daughter of Dr. Hiram S. Griswold, of Cleveland, Ohio, a lineal descendant of Mathew Griswold, who came to this country from Kenilworth, England, in 1639, and settled in Connecticut. On her mother's side she was descended from William White, the "May- flower " passenger, father of Peregrine White. She d. in .August, 1897.

Since the above was written, Mr. Tompkins has given up the management of the Boston and Park Theatres, and has retired from theat-

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rical business. Having done his share of the work and had more than his share of the suc- cess incidental to that profession, he is content to stand aside and let others continue the fascinating work and reap the varying harvests that may come. Though it is a most unusual occurrence for a man to retire from the theatri- cal profession while in the prime of life and enjoying the best of health, he makes himself the exception to the rule, and becomes a spec- tator where once he directed the labors.

EWIS HUTCHINSON LOVER- ING, a resident of Medford, who has been twice elected Mayor of that city, was born in Greenwood, Me., April 18, 1849, son of Erastus Prescott and Diantha (Hutchinson) Lovering. His pater- nal grandfather was David Lovering, of Wo- burn, who m. April 20, 1797, Abigail Flagg, of that place. They were the parents of eight children, three sons and five daughters.

Abigail Flagg was a descendent of Thomas1 Flagg, who settled at Watertown, Mass., in 1641, and who was the ancestor of this branch of the family. He was Selectman of Water- town in 1671, 1674, 1675, 1676, 1678, 1681, 1685, and 1687. Lieutenant Gershom2 Flagg, who was b. in Watertown, April 16, 1641, son of Thomas' and his wife, Mary, was admitted freeman 1676, and settled in Woburn. He m. April 15, 1668, Hannah Lepingwell, who was b. January 6, 1646, daughter of Michael Lepingwell (Woburn records). Lieutenant Gershom Flagg was killed by the Indians, July 6, 1690, at Wheelwright's Pond, Lee, N. H. Their son Gershom3 and his wife, Hannah, were the parents of Zachariah, 4 b. June 20, 1700, who m. in 1733 Mary Gardner. Zachariah and Mary were the parents of John5 Flagg, b. August 29, 1746, whose daughter Abigail (recorded as Nabby, b. September 1, 1775), m. David Lovering. John5 Flagg went out on the Lexington alarm April 19, 1775, as private in Captain Samuel Belknap's company, which marched to Concord and thence to Cam- bridge. He served twenty-seven days. He d. May 24, 1825, at the age of seventy-eight. His wife, Abigail, whose maiden name was

Thompson, survived him many years, dying February 1, 1847, aged ninety-eight years, ten months, twelve days (Woburn records). Abi- gail, daughter of James and Abigail Thomp- son, was b. March 9, 1748 (Wilmington rec- ords). Her parents were James5 and Abigail (Simonds) Thompson, of Wilmington, her father a descendant of James Thompson, one of the original settlers of Woburn.

Erastus Prescott Lovering, son of David and father of Lewis H. Lovering, was b. at Poland, Me., February 8, 1817. Brought up on a farm, he continued to follow agriculture dur- ing the entire active period of his life. In his latter years he removed to Medford, where he d. December 17, 1894. His marriage, which took place in 1838, united him with Diantha Hutchinson, a native of Albany, Me., b. Octo- ber 12, 1819. Her death occurred in 1864, thirty years before that of her husband. They were the parents of six children : Mary Eliza- beth, who d. in infancy; Sabra Rawson; Lewis Hutchinson; Francis Hill; Dustin Ord- way, who d. in infancy; and Alma Adelaide. Sabra Rawson, b. in February, 1841, is the wife of William R. Staples, of River Falls, Wis. She has no children. Francis Hill m. Abbie Bennett, of Norway, Me. They have two children - Chester Bennett and Stanley H. Lovering. Alma Adelaide m. Frank A. Oxnard, of Norway, Me. They have two chil- dren - Charles Lewis and Nancy Pearl Oxnard ; and one, Earnest C., died in infancy.

Lewis Hutchinson Lovering obtained his ele- mentary education in the schools of Greenwood and Norway, Oxford County, Me. He resided on the farm with his parents till he was eigh- teen years of age, when he went to work as a lumberman in the employ of York & Newell, of Milan, N. H., with whom he remained for four years, engaged in cutting and handling spruce. Then for two years he carried on a contract lumber business in company with his brother Frank. Removing to Stoneham, Mass., in 1875, he worked at the carpenter's trade for two years. At the end of that time he came to Medford; and, after continuing two years longer as a carpenter, he established himself in the grocery and provision business, which he followed for nine years, selling out to his

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brother Frank in 1885, who still continues the business as proprietor. He then commenced the business of contractor and builder, also dealing in real estate, and has so continued to the present time (1901). Soon after coming to Medford Mr. Lovering began to take an active interest in public affairs and in the good government of the town. His ability being recognized, he was elected on the Republican ticket by the citizens of Medford to the office of Town Committee, in which he served three years; then was elected a member of the Board of Fire Engineers, serving seven years, part of the time as chief engineer. He was Select- man three years and Alderman for two years, serving in the latter office on the first board elected under the city charter. In 1896 he was elected to the office of Mayor, of which he was the third incumbent. Re-elected to the same office in 1898, he served acceptably till January 1, 1901. In 1901 he declined re- election.

Mr. Lovering was married December 25, 1875, to Emma Frances Woods, who was born in 1851 at Brooks, Me., a daughter of Ste- phen H. and Lucy (Stantial) Woods. Mr. and Mrs. Lovering have one child, a son, .Frank Woods, who was born December 24, 1878. He was graduated from the Medford High School in 1895, from Tufts College in 1899, and is now in the editorial department of the Boston Journal. Frank Woods Lovering married October 8, 1901, Clara I. Parry, daughter of Joseph J. and Margaret. C. Parry, of Medford.

OSEPH LEWIS STACKPOLE, a well- known lawyer of Boston, was born in this city March 20, 1838, son of Joseph Lewis and Susan Margaret (Benjamin) Stackpole. He is a descendant of James Stackpole,' the ancestor of the family, who was living. within the limits of Dover town- 'ship, N. H., before 1680, his name appearing in the tax list as "Stagpoll." . He d. in 1736. He m. before 1680 Margaret, daughter of James and Margaret Warren, of Berwick, Me. For some years he resided in Berwick, but in 1699 returned to his homestead in the north-

east part of Dover, which, in 1730, became the parish of Somersworth. His children were: James L., Philip, John, William, Mar- garet, and Samuel.

Philip2 Stackpole in 1734 was chosen a member of the first school board of Somers- worth, N. H., and in 1754 was elected to take an inventory of the parish and as one of the Overseers of the Poor. He d. in 1761. His will makes mention of his wife Martha and sons Philip, Jr., James, and William, and daughters Sarah Hall and Lydia Frost.

James, 3 baptized at South Berwick, Me., March 15, 1729, m. Elizabeth Pierce, daugh- ter of Benjamin, Sr., and Hannah (Ash) Pierce, of South Berwick and Somersworth. Benjamin Pierce was a descendant of John Pierce, of Watertown, Mass., freeman 1634.

William+ Stackpole (son of James), b. Oc- tober 19, 1746, in Somersworth, N. H., went to Harpswell, Me., and thence about 1773 to Thomaston, Me. He d. in 1813, and was buried in the Granary burying-ground. Will- iam became a prominent merchant in Boston, residing in Ward Nine, December, 1776, hav- ing his place of business on King Street, now State Street, August, 1781. His residence was the historic Stackpole house, which, with its adjoining gardens, once occupied the site of the Boston Post-office. He was m. by the Rev. Samuel J. Stillman, October 3, 1776, to Mrs. Ann Jackson Parker, of Boston. She was probably identical with Ann, b. April 3, 1744, daughter of Thomas and Anne Jackson. Her death occurred in 1807. They had five children, namely: Nancy Davis, who m., first, John M. Stillman, and second, John Hobbes; Sarah Crease, who m. Edward St. L. R. Liver- more; William, 5 b. 1779, a fuller account of whom is given elsewhere in this sketch; Grace Hapfield, b. 1782, who m. John Ward Gurley ; Margaret Crease, b. 1784, who m. Francis Welch.

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Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part 51

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