Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part 7

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

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Deacon Nathaniel2 Hapgood, eldest of the five children of Shadrach,' received a double portion of his father's estate, and acquired more land from time to time, his home farm alone at Stow being little, if any, short of seven hundred acres. He served fourteen years as Selectman of Stow, two years as Town Treasurer, and in 1711-1712 as Grand Jury- man. He m. September 6, 1695, Elizabeth, daughter of Samuel and Sarah (Howe) Ward, and grand-daughter of William Ward and John Howe, both of Marlboro. Six children were born of this union, and all were married.

Lieutenant Shadrach, 3 b. November 6, 1704, received from his father and others about three hundred and fifty acres of land in the north- westerly part of Stow, known as "Stow Leg," which fell into the town of Harvard at the time of its incorporation in 1732. About 1727 he built the large mansion house in Colonial style still standing in the northerly part of Harvard.

He was commissioned as Lieutenant by Gover- nor William Shirley in 1742. As a private in Captain Thomas Gates's Company, he marched on the alarm of April 19, 1775, service nine days. He was Selectman six years, and d. October 8, 1782. His wife, Elizabeth Wether- bee, d. November 30, 1803, having had ten children.

Shadrach, 4 b. October 4, 1747, m. July 23, 1770, Elizabeth, daughter of Jabez Keep, and grand-daughter of Ensign Samuel Keep, of Springfield, Mass. He succeeded his father as owner of the large estate in Harvard. In 1777 he was a private in Captain Samuel Hill's Company, Colonel Josiah Whitney's Regi- ment, which marched from Harvard on the Bennington alarm, and was in service six days, August 19-25, and later, under Lieutenant Colonel Sawyer, served twenty-four days, Oc- tober 2-26. He was one of the Committee of Correspondence and Safety in 1781, Selectman 1791-92, and d. June 20, 1818. His wife d. August 30, 1826.

Joel,5 the youngest of a family of seven children, settled on the home farm in a house that he built previous to his marriage, as an annex to the original dwelling, while his father was yet living. He m. first, November 12, 1812, Sally Fairbank, who was b. September 23, 1792, and d. January 19, 1820. She was a daughter of Jonathan6 and Hannah (Hale) Fairbank, of Stow, grand-daughter of Captain Joseph5 and Abigail (Tarbell) Fairbank, great- grand-daughter of Deacon Joseph4 and Mary (Brown) Fairbank, great-great-grand-daughter of Jabez3 and Mary (Wilder) Fairbank, great- great-great-grand-daughter of Jonas2 and Lydia (Prescott) Fairbank, and great-great-great- great-grand-daughter of Jonathan and Grace (Lee) Fairbank, who came from Yorkshire, England, to Boston in 1633, and settled in Dedham, 1636. Jonas2 Fairbank, who was one of the original proprietors of Lancaster, was slain with his son Joshua by the Indians at the burning of the town in February, 1676. His wife Lydia was a daughter of John Pres- cott, who came from Sowerby, England, and was the founder of the family in New England.

Joels Hapgood m. second, January 30, 1822, Charlotte, daughter of Jason and Silence

GENEALOGY AND PERSONAL HISTORY

Mead, b. December 22, 1791-a woman of energy and intelligence, cheerful and kindly in disposition, and an affectionate and faithful mother to his three children, she having none of her own. He d. September 28, 1855, and she July 17, 1884.

Jonathan Fairbank6 Hapgood, eldest son of Joel, was b. January 15, 1814, reared on the homestead farm, and in his early manhood worked in a tannery in Ashburnham. He m. first, December 25, 1839, Susan Wetherbee, of Harvard, who d. 1842, leaving one child, Al- fred Warren. On April 9, 1843, he m. sec- ond Dolly Mosman, b. in Westminster, Sep- tember 29, 1822. In 1844 he purchased a farm in Harvard, and worked it till 1849, when the gold fever took him to California, where he worked two years in the mines, returning in November, 1851, with the intention of taking his family thither, but was by his father per- suaded to abandon that project and take the farm under certain conditions, which were faithfully performed. In 1854 he built the large barn, and from time to time greatly improved the farm. He was blessed with twelve children, and d. of indurated cancer in the pylorus August 29, 1876. His widow d. in Marlboro, January 4, 1894.

Hannah6 Hapgood, only daughter of Joel, b. May 14, 1815, m. first, April 14, 1836, Hiram, son of Thomas and Polly (Whitney) Houghton, b. in Harvard, April 16, 1814. He was a farmer, and d. January 2, 1853. She m. second, March 4, 1856, Amasa Davis Gamage, a business man of Boston, brother to Mrs. Warren Hapgood, and at the time of his death in 1881 a member of the well-known firm of John G. Hall & Co. His widow now re- sides in Jamaica Plain.

Warren Hapgood,6 the youngest and only surviving son of Joel, 5 passed his boyhood at the ancestral homestead in Harvard, attending the district school in term time, making good progress in his studies and cherishing a desire for a college education. Active and sprightly, but never robust, he was disinclined to adopt the hereditary occupation of farming; and as an alternative, in the spring of 1834, in his eighteenth year, he was placed in a store in Fitchburg to learn something of mercantile

business. His employer soon failed, and he reluctantly returned to the homestead. That summer was his last on the farm. Thanks to his excellent stepmother, who knew that he was better adapted to a business life than farm work, the way was opened for him to go into a general merchandise store on Charlestown Neck kept by Archibald Babcock. He re- ceived a salary of twenty-five dollars the first year, with a present of five dollars, and boarded with Mr. Babcock's family. The second year his salary was doubled; but before it ended Mr. Babcock sold out, and he found employ- ment as book-keeper's assistant in Boston. He

practised economy, and yearly saved some of his earnings, even from the first. From assist- ant he was promoted to head book-keeper and manager of the business. His evenings at this period were largely devoted to study and to meetings of literary societies which he had joined. He bought books, and also made glad use of the libraries that were then accessible to him. He took lessons in book-keeping, French, and other branches of learning. His health suffering from too close application and his eyes being weakened, he passed the winter of 1843-44 at the old home in Harvard.

After his return to Boston in 1844, he was employed as book-keeper in a dry-goods store, and later in a wool and domestic goods com- mission house. The confinement did not agree with him; and by the advice of the late Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes, then a practising physician in Boston, he arranged with his firm to be out more, and was sent as their agent through the Western States, and the next year he was sent on a similar mission to the South- ern States, spending part of the winter of 1845- 46 in New Orleans. On his return he was for a time employed in New England and New York. Much improved in health by the active out-of-doors life, he decided to abandon office work for the more active duties of business. He had, however, during the past three years followed the doctor's advice, and seized every opportunity to indulge in field sports, not only for health, but for pleasure as well. In Au- gust, 1847, he embarked in the cloth and clothing business, forming a copartnership with Samuel B. Appleton, who was thoroughly

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conversant with that business, under the name of Hapgood & Appleton, at 18 Dock Square, Boston. At the end of the first year the firm was dissolved; and Mr. Hapgood assumed the business and its responsibilities, removing in 1855 to the large store, 50 Washington Street. In 1872 he removed to 48 Washington Street, and in 1874 to chambers, 383 Washington Street. In February, 1878, finding chambers not available for his business, he removed to 17 Court Street, where he remained till Feb- ruary 1, 1887, when he transferred his business to Messrs. Richardson & Swett, who had long been in his employ.

For forty years Mr. Hapgood had been suc- cessfully in business for himself, had never borrowed money or asked for a discount, and had always paid one hundred cents on the dollar.

Being in business for himself, he felt at lib- erty to devote more time afield than when he was an employee; and, as he advanced in life, his health improved, and he became physically in good condition. For more than thirty years, at suitable seasons of the year, he was a con- stant visitor at the old homestead, and with his brother Jonathan traversed the towns in that vicinity, and beat the coverts for game; nor were the trout streams in that section neglected during the proper season. His brother Jona- than was an expert fisherman, and knew all the lurking-places of the wily trout; and it was of great advantage to have so generous and intel- ligent a friend at court. He was also a most excellent shot, knew all the coverts, took care of the dogs and guns, and was always ready to lend a hand to help out the day's sport. Not a large man, but tough as a whip, and full of energy, and a cheerful and agreeable companion for such excursions. All these rambles tended to build up and improve his physical condition, and he has often said he did not regret any day . or dollar spent in that way. He now rather rejoices that he had the courage to seize and appropriate such happy occasions to prolong life. To him that was "the golden age." He has taken trout from the Merced and Yellow- stone Rivers, the Adirondacks, the Rangeleys, and other lakes and rivers, shot fowl and game birds in many of the States without a serious

accident ; and for all these joys and blessings he is truly grateful.

In 1862 he organized the Monomoy Branting Club, and for thirty-four years was its presi- dent and manager. He has been a member of the Massachusetts Fish and Game Protective Association since 1878, is a member of the New England Historic-Genealogical Society, the Bostonian Society, and Boston Art Club, the American Unitarian Association, Young Men's Christian Union, is a member of Dr. Edward Everett Hale's church, served on the Boston School Committee Board, 1866. He gave to Harvard a town clock and a handsome sum to complete the public library, and deliv- ered an address at its dedication, June 22, 1887. He is a keen observer of the habits of birds and animals, and has a collection of ornithological specimens, including most of the shore birds as well as game birds of New England. "To be a sportsman," he says in an introductory page to the genealogy, "one should be a hearty admirer of Nature and her stupendous and wonderful works, lofty moun- tains, noble forests, running brooks, precipice and prairie, and the ways and habits of their multitudinous inhabitants. If all these do not bring joy to his heart and elevate his soul, he is no sportsman, and had better let his faculties drift into some other field."

He has contributed numerous articles for publication, principally on sporting matters, notably "History of Brant," "Game Birds of New England," Range and Rotary Movements of Shore Birds," "A Transcontinental Trip," "Brant Shooting at Cape Cod," etc.

In 1894, as a compliment to his fellow- townsmen, he published the history of his native town, Harvard, no copy of which was ever sold; and in 1898 he wrote and published a genealogy of the Hapgood family, 1656-1898, a work of about six hundred pages, with simi. lar results.

Mr. Hapgood was married January 14, 1852, to Julia Adelaide Gamage, a lady of congenial tastes, born in Boston, July 28, 1821, a daugh- ter of Nathaniel and Sarah (Cowdin) Gamage, educated in public and private schools in her native city. Her father was a son of William Gamage, M.D., of Cambridge, by his second

GENEALOGY AND PERSONAL HISTORY

wife, Lucy Watson. Dr. Gamage was the son of William, Sr., and Abigail Gamage, of Cam- bridge, and grandson of Joshua and Deborah (Wyeth) Gamage, of Cambridge, Joshua being the immigrant progenitor of the family in New England. Mrs. Hapgood's mother was the daughter of Daniel and Zebiah (Davis) Cow- din, and grand-daughter of General Amasa and Sarah (Whitney) Davis; Sarah Whitney, a daughter of William and Mary (Pierce) Whit- ney, of Weston, and grand-daughter of John and Elinor Whitney, of Watertown. Nathan- iel Gamage was a merchant of Boston. He died in January, 1823, survived by his wife, Sarah, who died March 2, 1867.

Mrs. Hapgood in earlier life took an active interest in Sunday-school work, more particu- larly the Warren Street Chapel and Children's Mission. She is a life member of the Chil- dren's Mission to the Children of the Desti- tute and of the American Unitarian Associa- tion. Having no children, Mr. and Mrs. Hapgood took into their family in 1871 a nephew of Mr. Hapgood's, Theodore Gold- smith Hapgood, a promising lad of nearly eleven years, a son of Jonathan F. Hapgood, to educate him for mercantile or professional life, as he should choose. For seven years he studied at the Dwight Grammar School, where his conduct was always "excellent," his schol- arship above the average, he being sometimes "head boy." Two years more were spent in the Roxbury High School, and then in Septem- ber, 1879, he entered a store to learn the leather business. In the winter of 1881-82 he attended evening class at Comer's Commer- cial College, where he took a severe cold, which developed into serious lung trouble. Various changes of climate were tried, among them the Adirondack forests, but all proved

unavailing. He died at Duane, N. Y., March 10, 1883, and was interred in the family lot in Harvard. He had early become attached to the Rev. Dr. Hale's Sunday-school, and was baptized by him on Easter Sunday, April 5, 1874. His Sunday-school teacher wrote of him as follows: "In running back over my memory of our being together in the Sunday- school, I have only one thought of him, a manly, true-hearted young man. His bearing

in the class was as nearly perfect as it was possible to be, setting a high tone and example to the others, always loyal, earnest, and faith- ful in all he did. I had some earnest talks with him, and I know that his aims were high and that the standard he set for himself was one only to be reached by a truly religious consecration. "

B ENJAMIN HINCKLEY, senior mem- ber of the firm of Hinckley & Co., produce dealers, Boston, was born in Charlestown, Mass., September 22, 1841, son of Benjamin and Olive (Rich) Hinckley.

His father was a native of Truro, Barnstable County, and was the third Benjamin Hinckley in direct line of descent born in that town, being a son of Deacon Benjamin and Mercy (Collins) Hinckley and grandson of Benjamin, Sr., who d. at Truro in 1824, aged eighty-one years, and whose wife, Dinah Sweet, a native of Wellfleet, d. in November following, in her seventy-fourth year. The family is one of the oldest on the Cape, its founder, Samuel' Hinckley, having come from Sandwich, Eng- land, with his wife, Sarah, and four children in the "Hercules" in 1635, settling at Barn- stable in 1640. Samuel Hinckley d. in Octo- ber, 1662. His will mentions wife Bridget (second), four daughters, and three sons - Thomas, Samuel, and John. These sons all married and had families. Thomas2 Hinckley was the last Governor of Plymouth Colony. He d. in 1705. His son John, 3 b. in 1667, was the father of James, 4 b. in 1704, who re- moved to Falmouth. Of James+ Hinckley Mr. Amos Otis, in his "Genealogical Notes of Barnstable Families" (vol. ii. p. 43), says, "The Hinckleys at Truro I think are his de- scendants. '' On page 40 Mr. Otis says of Josiah4 Hinckley, another grandson of Gov- ernor Thomas, 2 b. in March, 1694-5, "He was a blacksmith and lived at Truro, married Lydia Paine."

Benjamin Hinckley, second, of Truro, who held the office of Deacon in the Congregational church, was by occupation a contractor and builder. He and his wife, Mercy, reared one

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son and four daughters; namely, Benjamin, Dorcas, Hannah, Mercy, and Delia.

Benjamin Hinckley, third, father of the present Benjamin Hinckley, learned the trade of carpenter, which, however, he did not follow for many years, but came to Boston to engage in the produce business, forming a partnership with a Mr. Lowell, under the firm name of Hinckley & Lowell. The two continued to- gether for a number of years, their store being situated near the Worcester depot. After Mr. Lowell's death Mr. Hinckley became a mem- ber of the firm of S. Walker & Co., of Faneuil Hall Square. Previous to the Civil War Mr. Hinckley went to New Orleans, where he re- mained, and soon after the commencement of the war he entered into the service of the United States in the commissary department. Failing health at length compelling him to relinquish his position and come home, he died on June 18, 1862, but a few days after his return. His wife, Olive Rich Hinckley, d. March 18, 1873. She was a native of Charles- town, Mass., b. October 10, 1815, daughter of Robert and Achsah Rich. Her father, a son of John Rich, was one of the pioneer fish dealers in Boston. In 1815 he purchased an estate in Charlestown of the Union Bank. He d. January 10, 1859, at the advanced age of ninety-five years, his wife, Achsah, having passed away eleven years before, on September 8, 1847. Benjamin Hinckley, third, was the father of three children, of whom two, Benja- min and James Gates, are now living.

Benjamin Hinckley, fourth, the present bearer of the name, was educated in the public schools of Charlestown, and at the age of nine- teen entered the employ of Chamberlain, Kim- ball & Doe, of Faneuil Hall Market, with whom he remained for three or four years. He then worked one year for the firm of Davis & Dyer. In 1865 he formed a partnership with George C. Nichols in the commission produce business, which they carried on to- gether in Faneuil Hall Market for five years. Then Eli Ayers was admitted to the firm, the style becoming Hinckley, Ayers & Co. In 1897 Mr. Ayers withdrew, and the business was continued by Benjamin and James G. Hinckley, under the name of Hinckley & Co.,

at 33 South Market and 19 Chatham Streets. Mr. Hinckley is a director of the First Na- tional Bank of Woburn and president of the Woburn Five Cents Savings Bank. He is a member of the Boston Chamber of Commerce, of which he was formerly vice-president, and is now one of the trustees of real estate. He was made a Free Mason in Henry Price Lodge, Charlestown, and is now a member of St. An- drew's Chapter, R. A. M. A Republican in politics, he cast his first Presidential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1864. Though he has been several times solicited to allow his name to go before the public as a candidate for office, he has invariably declined, preferring to devote his whole time to his private business, which has kept him fully occupied.

Mr. Hinckley was first married June 4, 1867, to Mercy Eliza Byam, of Chelmsford, Mass., a daughter of William and Mercy (Parker) Byam and a descendant of George Byam, who was in Wenham, Mass., in 1640, and settled in Chelmsford in 1653. The line of descent is: George,' Abraham,2 Isaac, 3 John, 4 Will- iam, 5 Ezekiel,6 William,7 Mercy Eliza. 8 Eze- kiel6 Byam established the match business so long continued by Byam & Carlton. Mrs. Mercy E. Hinckley died in Charlestown May 10, 1871; and Mr. Hinckley married for his second wife, September 8, 1874, Ellen Wol- cott Stearns, who was born in Weymouth, Mass., a daughter of Eckley and Hannah L. Stearns. Mr. Hinckley has one child by his first wife, Mercy Adeline, a graduate of Smith College. Of his second union there are two children : Benjamin Stearns, who is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Olive Loring, who is a student in the high school. Mrs. Hinckley is a member of the Congregational church.

JAMES GATES HINCKLEY, junior member of the firm of Hinckley & Co., produce dealers, Boston, was born in Charlestown, Mass., Au- gust 21, 1851, son of Benjamin and Olive (Rich) Hinckley. His ancestral history is contained in the sketch of his brother Benja- min, preceding this. He was educated in the public schools of Charlestown, and at the age of fifteen years entered the employ of Burr

GENEALOGY AND PERSONAL HISTORY

Brothers & Co. (the leading dealers in Boston at that time in fancy small wares), and re- mained with them till he was twenty years of age. He then went to work for Chamberlain & Co., of Faneuil Hall Market, with whom he remained until he resigned in order to enter as a partner the firm of Hinckley & Co., with which he has since been connected. He was married in February, 1882, to Sarah Ella Mckay, a native of Charlestown, daughter of George and Jane Mckay. Mr. and Mrs. James G. Hinckley have two children - James P. and George W.

ON. WILLIAM PELEG ELLISON, of Newton, was born in Duxbury, Mass., October 30, 1835, son of William and Almeda (Partridge)

Ellison. His paternal ancestry is as follows, Joseph,' William,2 James, 3 William, + and in- cludes by intermarriages representatives of many well-known families of Boston and vicin- ity.

Joseph Ellison, b. in England in 1696, emigrated to America when well advanced in years, but prior to 1768, and d. in Boston, Mass., in 1771, leaving two children. Will- iam2 Ellison, b. in England, emigrated to Boston, and d. in this city May 15, 1816. In 1762 he m. Mary Bishop, who was b. in Dor- chester, Mass., April 25, 1740, and d. Febru- ary 23, 1817. She was a daughter of James and Sarah (Snow) Bishop. James3 Ellison, b. January 17, 1778, d. October 30, 1820. For many years he was connected with a Boston bank, and resided on South Street. Mr. Clapp in his records of the Boston stage says, in speaking of the Philo Dramatic Society : "The first idea originated with James Ellison. He was a remarkable lover of the drama, and his able criticisms can be found in the Boston Gazette of that day. He was the author of a number of successful dramatic pieces, and he furnished us almost every night we played with an original prologue or epilogue." James El- lison m. December 12, 1802, Charlotte Hick- ling, who was b. in Boston, January 2, 1780, being a daughter of William and Elizabeth (Hodson) Hickling and grand-daughter of

William and Sarah (Sale) Hickling. Sarah Sale was a daughter of John and Anne (Town- send) Sale, grand-daughter of Penn and Sarah (Addington) Sale, and great-grand-daughter of Ephraim and Mary (Foster) Sale. Mary Fos- ter was a daughter of Captain Hopestill and Mary (Bates) Foster, of Dorchester. Eight children were b. of the union of James and Charlotte (Hickling) Ellison, four of whom grew to years of maturity, namely : James, who settled in Waltham; William, who settled in Duxbury; Edward, in Bangor, Me .; and Sarah R., who lives in Waltham.

William4 Ellison was b. in Boston, August 13, 1812, and d. in Duxbury, Mass., January 31, 1858. He m. Almeda Partridge, who was b. in Duxbury in January, 1815, a daughter of Ralph and Hannah (Sprague) Partridge. She was a descendant in the sixth generation of George' Partridge, who emigrated from County Kent, England, to Duxbury, Mass., in 1636, m. Sarah Tracy in November, 1638, and d. about 1695. John2 Partridge, b. November 29, 1657, son of George,1 m. first, December 24, 1684, Hannah Seabury, and second, May 23, 1700, Mrs. Mary Brewster, widow of Wrestling Brewster. Isaac3 Partridge, who was b. March 2, 1705, son of John2 and his wife Mary, and d. January 26, 1794, m. March 10, 1730, Grace Sylvester. Their son, Colonel Calvin+ Partridge, b. May 29, 1739, d. November 27, 1815. In the early part of the Revolutionary War he was given charge of the military com- panies of the town of Duxbury, and served in the Rhode Island campaigns. He was after- ward promoted to the rank of Colonel of the regiment. He m. October 24, 1779, Mrs. Mary Wakefield Alden, widow of Colonel Icha- bod Alden. Ralphs Partridge, b. of this union in Duxbury, November 13, 1783, m. Hannah Sprague, and was the father of Almeda, 6 above named, b. in 1815, who m. William Ellison. Hannah Sprague was a daughter of the Hon. Seth5 and Deborah (Sampson) Sprague, of Duxbury. Her mother was a daughter of Abner+ Sampson and grand-daughter of Na- thaniel3 Sampson, of Duxbury. Her grand- father Nathaniel was a son of Abraham2 Samp- son by his wife Lorah, daughter of Alexander2 and Sarah (Alden) Standish and grand-daugh-

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ter of Captain Myles' Standish and of John and Priscilla (Mullins) Alden.

William Pelegs Ellison was educated in the public schools of Duxbury, which he attended until about seventeen years old. Coming then to Boston, he entered the employ of Howes & Crowell, shipping merchants, a firm with which he was subsequently connected for nearly twenty-eight years. At present he is practi- cally retired from business pursuits, although his time is fully occupied with the manage- ment of trust estates. Since 1865 he has been a resident of Newton, and has taken an intelli- gent interest in all things pertaining to the city's growth and progress. For several years he was president of the Newton Water Board. He was a member of the City Council in 1878 and 1879, one of the Board of Aldermen in 1880 and 1881, and the ensuing two years was Mayor of the city. He is a member of the Eliot Church and of its Prudential Committee, and for nineteen years has been a member of the Prudential Committee of the A. B. C. F. M. of the Congregational church.

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Genealogy and history of representative citizens of the commonwealth of Massachusetts, Part 7

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