USA > Massachusetts > Berkshire County > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Vol II > Part 37
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37
EDGAR HUES PEIRCE.
Edgar Hues Peirce, of Dalton, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, is a direct descendant of old Plymouth colony stock. His ancestor was Shadrack Peirce, who married Anna Bridges, and about 1760 moved from Middleford to Spence, Massachusetts. Their oldest son, Eber, born in 1770, is the direct ancestor of Mr. Peirce's wife, Jennie Peirce; while the third child of the same Shadrack, who was John, born in 1774, is the direct ancestor of Mr. Peirce.
Shadrack Peirce was a man of great learning, and was a minister of the gospel. Many of his descendants are now distributed all through the towns of the south shore and southeastern Massachusetts. Mr. Peirce's ancestors retained the name of John through a number of generations, and it was through his great-grandfather, John Peirce, who married Bathsheba Bridges, that the family became pioneers of Berkshire county, settling in the town of Windsor. John and Bath-
511
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
sheba also had a son John, who was born in Windsor, and married Anna Holbrook, of Peru. It was from this union that Almond T. Peirce, the father of Edgar H. Peirce, was born.
Almond T. Peirce was born in Windsor, in 1814, and by his mar- riage with Betsey B. Tower united two of the best and most highly respected families in this vicinity. Of this union the following chil- dren were born in Windsor. They were all born and reared upon a farm, and all worked with a will to make it the prosperous one which it turned out to be: Marion, born 1837; married Watson Dimock, who lived in Huntington. They have no children. Orlando W., born 1839; married Martha B. Peirce, of Peru. They reside in Jackson, Michigan. Eugene W., born 1841; he died while a soldier in the Civil war, at New Orleans, in 1863. Lucretia T., born 1843; married Emerson Bicknell, of Windsor. They make their home and have a large family in Cummington. Sarah I., born 1845, deceased. Orison A., born 1847; married Emma DeWolf; they reside in Jackson, Mich- igan. Edgar Hues, born 1850, of whom further hereinafter. Roscoe W., born 1858; he makes his home in Port Huron, Michigan. Almond T. and Betsey (Tower) Peirce celebrated their sixty-seventh wedding anniversary just before Mrs. Peirce's death, which occurred in 1904. Mr. Peirce lives with his daughter, Mrs. Watson Dimock, at Hunting- ton, Massachusetts, and is in his ninety-second year.
Edgar Hues Peirce, next to the youngest child of Almond T. and Betsey (Tower) Peirce, was born November 20, 1850, and as his father was one of the ambitious and untiring farmer settlers who laid the foundations for a sturdy race of good soil tillers and honorable citizens, Edgar, after completing a few years in the district schools of his native town of Windsor, and a term at the academy in the neigh- boring town of Hinsdale, turned in' and aided his father for a few
512
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
years in farming. When less than twenty-one years of age, on April 14. 1871, he married Jennie E. Peirce, the daughter of Reuben and Dilly Ford Peirce, of East Windsor. Mrs. Peirce is the direct descend- ant in the ninth generation of John and Priscilla Alden, through the Ford family. Her mother's father was Benjamin Ford. After his marriage Edgar Peirce worked for a year or more on a farm, and then went west, where he secured a good position, but he was unable to withstand the climate, and so returned east. He taught school for a few terms in both Windsor and Cummington, and then set up a, saw- mill which he operated for two years, when the great freshet swept the property away. He then engaged for work in the store of H. F. Shaw, whom he soon bought out, and for the next thirteen years he conducted this general store, and at the same time held about all the local offices that one individual might lawfully hold at once. He was postmaster, deputy sheriff, selectman, assessor, school committeeman and tax collector. In 1888 he was burned out, and in 1889 he removed to his present home in Dalton. Since his coming to Dalton he served as tax collector for fifteen consecutive years, and is engaged in the insurance and real estate business, besides retaining his position as a deputy sheriff, with offices at the county seat at Pittsfield, Massachu- setts, in which capacity he has served for more than twenty-five years, and he is also court officer. The following named children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Peirce: Reuben Childs, born April 20, 1873; married Jennie O. Tyler ; they have two children, Clayton D. and Ruth E. Reuben Childs is employed by Mr. W. Murray Crane in the capac- ity of confidential clerk, and makes his home in Dalton. Ethyl. born September 9, 1878, married John H. Bellows, and they have two chil- dren, Greta E. and Sara Evelyn. Edgar H. and Mrs. Peirce are mem- bers of the Congregational church, in which they take an active part.
513
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
In politics Mr. Peirce is a staunch Republican. He is a member of the following societies : Unity Lodge of Masons, at Dalton, Massa- chusetts, and Knights of Pythias, in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
JOHN PARSONS MACK.
John Parsons Mack, of Dalton, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, is the survivor of the Mack family, whose history is so intricately woven into the early annals of the towns of Partridgefield, Hinsdale and Middlefield. He is a descendant of Josiah Mack, who came from Scotland as early as 1693. and settled in Lyme, Connecticut. Josiah Mack was the father of a large family-three sons and seven daugh- ters-and therefore the family connections have been widely scattered.
David Mack, grandson of Josiah Mack, was born in Hebron, Con- necticut, December 10, 1750. He married Mary Talcott, of the same town, in 1774, and this marriage was a union of two families, one of Puritan and the other of old Pilgrim stock. They were the parents of thirteen children, all of whom were born in Middlefield. Massachu- setts, with the exception of the eldest child, who was born in Hebron, Connecticut. Their children were: Mary, born in 1774; Lois. born in 1776: David. Jr., born in 1778; Mindwell, born in 1779; John Tal- cott, born in 1781 ; Elisha, born in 1783; Anna, born in 1784; Phoebe, born in 1786: Zilpah, born in 1788; Lucy, born in 1790; Hannah, born in 1791 ; Abigail, born in 1793: Laura, born in 1795.
John Talcott Mack, fifth child of David Mack, was born August 23, 1781. He married for his first wife Lydia Randall, who bore him the following named children : Betsey, born in 1806, died at the age of thirty years. Lucy, born in 1808, became the wife of George Foot, and with their family they reside in Indiana. William, born in 1810.
33
514
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
married Maria Watkins, and they reside in Lanesboro, Massachusetts. John T., born in 1812, married Julia Rust. Mary, born in 1815. In 1818 John Talcott Mack married for his second wife Tirzah Chapin, and the issue of this union was the following named children : Lydia, born in 1819, became the wife of C. T. Lyman, of Washington. Dwight, born in 1821; Lyman, born in 1823, mentioned hereinafter. Catherine, born in 1826, became the wife of Moses Dibble, and they resided in Syracuse, New York. James W., born in 1828, who mar- ried Lamira O. Lord; he was killed in the battle of Honey Hill, in 1864. Jane M., born in 1830, who resides in Syracuse.
Lyman Mack, second son of John Talcott and Tirzah Mack, born in 1823, was married in 1847 to Maria Parsons, who bore him two children : John Parsons, mentioned hereinafter; and Mary E., born in 1857, who became the wife of L. L. Sherman, of Hinsdale, Massa- chusetts. Lyman Mack participated as a private in the war of the re- bellion, enlisting in the Forty-ninth Regiment, Massachusetts Volun- teers, during which time he lost a leg and also received serious injuries from which he suffered all his life.
John Parsons Mack, only son of Lyman and Maria Mack, was born in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, November 17, 1848. He received his education in the public schools and Hinsdale Academy, and during the early period of his life worked on his father's farm, which was one of the best cultivated and most productive in that section of the state. His grandfather conducted the hotel which was located on Maple street, Hinsdale, on the old Boston and Albany turnpike. John P. Mack aban- doned the occupation of farming in order to devote his time to railroad- ing, and for almost eight years he followed that line of work, being employed in the Hinsdale yards. He then entered the old Broad mill, in Hinsdale, in the capacity of weaver, but after continuing this occu-
515
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
pation for two years returned to the old homestead, and the following three or four years he conducted the farm for his father. In 1888 he was employed by the Weston estate in Dalton, Massachusetts, and since that time has served as superintendent of their extensive property. He is active, energetic and public-spirited, and every worthy enterprise finds in him a willing supporter. His political affiliations are with the Re- publican party. September 28, 1881, Mr. Mack married Hattie Lil- lian Russell, who was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, October 21, 1857, daughter of Joseph and Sarah ( Rowley) Russell, and their chil- dren are: Mabel R., born September 7, 1882, who is a stenographer for the A. A. Mills Co. in Pittsfield. Helen R., born September 3, 1884. Ina F., born October 19, 1886. John Lyman, born November 17, 1888. The Russell family was among the first settlers in Pittsfield, locating there from Chesterfield, Massachusetts, and they were the descendants of William Russell, of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The grandfather of Mrs. Mack conducted the hotel at the corner of North and West streets, Pittsfield, known as the Berkshire Inn, for a number of years. Her father, Joseph Russell, was born in Conway. Massa- chusetts, in 1826.
GEORGE COSTON MAYNARD.
Probably few families in Berkshire county have been longer rep- resented in Massachusetts than that of which George Coston Maynard, of Dalton, is a member. The progenitor of the race in America was John Maynard, who was born in England and in 1638 emigrated to the colonies, being one of the first settlers in the town of Sudbury, Massa- chusetts. John Maynard (2), eldest son of John Maynard (I), was born in England in 1630, came with his parents to America, and later in life settled in what is now Marlboro, Massachusetts. In 1658 he
516
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
married Mary Gates and they were the parents of eight children, the eldest of whom, David Maynard (3), was born in 1659, and lived in the western part of Marlboro, now called Westboro. Jonathan May- nard (4), son of David Maynard (3), was born in 1717, and lived in Westboro. In 1740 he married Abigail AAllen, and in regard to their children we know that they had three sons. The eldest, Jonathan, born in March, 1741, married Dina Powers in 1763, and on April 19, 1775. served with the rank of sergeant in the company of " embattled farm- ers " who " fired the shot heard round the world."
Jonathan Maynard (5), third son of Jonathan (4) and Abigail ( Allen) Maynard, was born May 14. 1746. For some unexplained reason he was given the same name as his elder brother, mentioned above. He married Naima Temple and the following children were the issue: Arethusa and Luther (twins), born in 1788; Lucy, born in 1790: Sanderson, born in 1792; Solomon, born in 1793; Fannie, born in 1796; Sabra, born in 1797; William T., mentioned at length herein- after: Arnold, born in 1799 ; and Sarah, born in 1801.
William T. Maynard (6), son of Jonathan (5) and Naima (Tem- ple) Maynard, was born January 4, 1798, and was a very enterprising and prosperous man, owning nearly the whole of Day Mount, where he carried on the lumber business, and at the same time managed a farm. He married, December 4, 1822, Ruby Gallup, who was born June 6, 1804, and they were the parents of the following children : Lomira, born February 19, 1825. became the wife of James Cook, and after his death married Samuel W. Cooper; Lucinda, born August 20, 1826, died at the age of twenty-two; William Dexter, mentioned at length hereinafter: Solomon, born October 4, 1829, a resident of Tama City, Iowa, married Mary A. Brownell and has children ; John W., born May 6, 1831. married Jane L. Tyler, and makes his home in Boise,
517
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Idaho; George W., born August 25, 1832, married Emily A. Clow ; Minerva W., born October 26, 1834, married in 1855 Samuel WV. Coop- er, by whom she had two children. Willard M. and Carrie; Mary J., born September 3. 1836, became the wife of Carlos A. Parker, and lives in Vermont ; Wealthy E., born March 27, 1838, married Isaac N. Cos- ton, and lives in Boise, Idaho ; Morton, born November 29, 1839: Thank- ful M., born November 4, 1842.
William Dexter Maynard (7), son of William T. (6) and Ruby (Gallup) Maynard, was born November 10, 1827, on Day Mount, Dalton, and always led the life of a farmer. In May, 1853, he married Harriet A. Dickinson, of Amherst. The Dickinson family is honor- ably distinguished as one of the most devoted to the cause of inde- pendence during the Revolutionary war, seven brothers of the name having served in the patriot army. Mr. and Mrs. Maynard were the parents of the following children : Cora E., born November 12, 1856, married Edwin S. Pomeroy and had one son, Theodore M., born Au- gust 1, 1882, who lives in Dalton; William Dwight, born October 15; 1858, is unmarried and lives on the homestead in Dalton; Hattie L., born October 9, 1861, became the wife of Frank Groesbeck, has three children and resides in Dalton; George Coston, mentioned at length here- inafter : Charles M., born August 26, 1868, died at the age of nine years.
George Coston Maynard (8), son of William Dexter (7) and Harriet A. (Dickinson) Maynard, was born February 6. 1865, and was educated in the public schools of his native town. He then entered the old Berkshire paper mill, where he worked for nearly ten years. He is now overseer of the rag department in the Crane & Company Pioneer Mill. He is a member of the Ancient Order of United Work- men, and in politics affiliates with the Republicans. He and his wife attend the Congregational church, where Mr. Maynard has been choris-
518
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
ter for more than twenty years, having succeeded his father, who held the position for thirteen years. Mr. Maynard married. October 19. 1886. Etta E., daughter of Henry and Clara (Lawrence) Richards, of Dalton. Mr. and Mrs. Maynard have two children, both of whom are attending school: Harold, born October 21, 1888; and Margaret, born December 8, 1899.
LYMAN MOORE GOODNOW.
Lyman M. Goodnow, of Dalton, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, while not a member of one of the old families in this town, is one of the oldest residents. He is a descendant of an English ancestry. His grandfather Goodnow was a Revolutionary soldier and participated in the early French and Indian wars of his time, when this border country was subject to marauding expeditions by its treacherous neighbors.
David S. Goodnow, father of Lyman M. Goodnow, was born in Colerain, Franklin county, Massachusetts, on Independence Day. He was married twice. His first wife bore him one daughter, Anna, and his second wife, Mittie (Taft) Goodnow, of Woodstock, Vermont, bore him four children, as follows: Ira Patchen, born in 1808, who re- moved to New York city, where he married an English lady, and the remainder of his life was spent in the cities of London and New York; he left no family. Lucia, born in ISII, became the wife of Mr. Hunt- ley, and they were the parents of a number of children; they made their home in Sudbury, Vermont. Mary, born in 1814, became the wife of William Kingsley, and they resided in Canada. Lyman Moore, mentioned hereinafter.
Lyman M. Goodnow was born September 7, 1825, his parents at that time being residents of Rochester, Vermont. He attended the dis-
519
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
trict schools of that town, and worked on a farm during the early years of his life. He did not follow the trade of his father, that of painter, but devoted the first few years of his active career to the tilling of the soil. The following two years he worked in a hotel at Sharon, Ver- mont, after which he returned to his old home and engaged in lum- bering and farming. He became an expert driver of lumber teams, and was employed at that occupation for some time in Ticonderoga, New York, where a number of years previous his grandparents were engaged in fighting for our independence. During his residence here lie was a companion of Freeman Seager, who later settled in Stephentown, New York, and they started from Crown Point for Lowell, Massachusetts, in search of work, stopping at Pittsfield, and shortly afterward they ·secured work in Lanesboro, where a year was spent without much financial profit. In the spring of 1849 Mr. Goodnow secured employ- ment in Dalton, Massachusetts, and from that year until his retire- ment from active pursuits, in 1893. with the exception of eighteen months when he worked at Newburgh, New York, for the Carson Com- pany, he was in the employ of the Crane family. During the greater part of those forty-four years he handled the freight and attended to the forwarding for the mills of the Crane Company, and being a man of reliability and steadfastness, always punctual as to time, his services were fully appreciated by his employers, who placed the utmost confi- dence in him. His political affiliations have always been with the Re- publican party. May 4, 1852, Mr. Goodnow married Lucy C. Bristol, of Canaan, New York, who died from cancer. March 25. 1891. On June 13, 1892, he was united in marriage to Emma J. Powers. of Aus- terlitz, New York, who died November 14, 1904. There were no children born of either marriage. Mr. Goodnow is a member of the
520
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Congregational church of Dalton, in which he served as deacon for ten years and as superintendent of Sabbath school for a number of years. and is an earnest advocate of the cause of temperance.
DANIEL WEBSTER TYLER.
Among those good citizens of Berkshire county whose names be- long to the past must be numbered Daniel Webster Tyler, for many years a respected resident of Dalton. Mr. Tyler was descended from English ancestors who settled at an early period where the city of Worcester now stands.
Moody Tyler, father of Daniel. Webster Tyler, was born in Wor- cester, where he made his home during the greater portion of his life, His occupation was that of a papermaker, a trade which had been hereditary in his family from the time of their emigration, and in the practice of which he was frequently obliged to visit other places. About seventy years ago he took up his abode in Dalton. He married Betsey Barker, of Syracuse, New York, and among the eleven children born to them was a son, Daniel Webster, mentioned at length hereinafter. In Dalton the family found employment in the paper mills. Mr. and Mrs. Tyler, the parents, were respected by all who knew them for their good and useful lives.
Daniel Webster Tyler, son of Moody and Betsey (Barker) Tyler, was born in 1834, in Leominster, Massachusetts, and on reaching man- hood engaged in the hereditary business of his family. When at the outbreak of the Civil war all loyal citizens were called to take up arms in defense of the Union, Mr. Tyler responded to the appeal. He en- listed in Company D, Tenth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, but the hardships incident to the life of a soldier soon undermined his
52
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
health and forced him to give up campaigning. His patriotic zeal, how- ever, was undiminished, and although laid aside from active duty he continued for some months in the recruiting service. He attended the Congregational church. Mr. Tyler married. in May. 1859. Emily F .. daughter of James and Fidelia (Brown) Billings, and they were the parents of three daughters. the eldest of whom. Alice L., was born March 1. 1860, but died at the early age of five years. Their second child. Grace M., who was born January 31. 1866, is the wife of Oliver L. Flansburg, of Dalton. The youngest daughter. Jennie D .. was born November 2. 1868, and is the wife of Reuben C., son of Edgar H. Pierce, who holds the office of deputy sheriff of Dalton. Mr. Pierce is confidential clerk to Senator W. M. Crane. of Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce are the parents of two children and make their home with Mrs. Tyler, who is now a widow, the death of Mr. Tyler having de- prived his family and the community of an affectionate husband and father, a kind neighbor and an upright citizen.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN NEWELL.
Benjamin Franklin Newell. of Dalton, Massachusetts, was one of those settlers found in every mountainous district who devoted years of his time in tramping the hills in search of the sport which he enjoyed, and it is safe to say that no more trustworthy guide ever lived in the Berkshire hills than he. He was born in York. York county. Maine, and was one of ten children in the family of Daniel and Abigail ( Johnson) Newell, he being the last survivor. His father was a descendant of Scotch and his mother of French stock. Daniel Newell ( father) was born on the Isle of Jersey, was a farmer by occupation. but during the winter months devoted some of his time to shoemaking.
.
522
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Benjamin F. Newell, when a very young man, determined to see something of this great country he lived in, and accordingly started out from home, his principle asset being the fact that he could make shoes, which he accordingly did in several towns and cities in the eastern part of Massachusetts. In the panic period of 1857, when there was no shoemaking to be done, he came by stage from Springfield to Pittsfield, and the interesting stories of that trip and the subsequent ones he made overland between the two places certainly mark him as a true guide. From 1840 to '44 he spent in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, shoe- making for Oliver Brown. In the latter named year he came to Dal- ton, same state, where he has since made his home. He is very proud of the fact that he went up from Pittsfield to the Summit on the first train on the Boston & Albany Railroad in 1840. In the same year he went to Boston to attend the dedication of the Bunker Hill monument, and was one of the cheerers for old Tippecanoe and Tyler too. Since the year he first took up his residence in Dalton, 1844. Mr. Newell re- sided in the same house, and his time and attention was divided between cobbling and the raising of birds and bees. He devoted many years to the study of the Bible, but the God he believed in chiefly was the God of nature. In politics he was a Democrat of the Andrew Jackson type. Mr. Newell was married twice. His first wife, whose maiden name was Margaret Larabee, of Dalton, whom he married in 1844, bore him three children: William F., in 1845. married Deborah Tower, daugh- ter of Stephen Tower; George, in 1846, who when only fifteen years and four months old enlisted his services in the Civil war, went with Ben. Butler and participated in many battles. He died in the service at Mobile, Alabama ; and Clarence L., in 1848, who also fought in the Civil war. His second wife, Alma (Tower) Newell, daughter of
523
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
Stephen Tower, bore him one daughter, Nellie, now the wife of Will- iam Brague, a resident of Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Mr. Newell died November 7, 1904, at the age of eighty-six years and ten months.
THOMAS FRISSELL BARKER.
Thomas F. Barker, a native and resident of Hinsdale, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, is a son of Asahel and Sermeramis (Frissell) Barker, and grandson of Thomas Fuller and Elizabeth (Fuller) Barker. Thomas F. Barker (grandfather) removed from Stafford, Connecticut, about the year 1823 and first settled in Partridgefield, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, near what is now called the Peru school house. The building in which he resided is still standing and is one of the landmarks of the town of Peru. The town of Partridgefield was subsequently di- vided and the towns of Peru and Hinsdale were created out of its limits, and Thomas F. Barker and his wife, Elizabeth (Fuller ) Barker, removed to the part called Hinsdale during the year 1833, and April 15, 1835, Mrs. Barker died. His death occurred January 22, 1858, aged eighty- three years. Their children were: Thomas F., born 1803, died October 25, 1892, aged eighty-nine years; Asahel, born 1806, died April 5, 1893, aged eighty-seven years; Orlando, who died March 3, 1876, in Wellington, Ohio; and Belinda, unmarried, who died July 14, 1842, aged twenty-nine years.
Asahel Barker (father) was born August 31, 1806, and was united in marriage May 1, 1833, to Sermeramis Frissell, daughter of Thomas and Hannah ( Philip) Frissell, the former named having died in No- vember, 1835, from injuries received from a horse, and the latter April 3, 1849. Their children were : 1. John Brewster, born June 23, 1835, wlio went west in 1857 and settled in Rosemond, Illinois. He was taken
524
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
sick with " dumb ague " and having no one to care for him, his brother Thomas F. Barker went out west and brought him to his home in Hins- dale, where he remained part of the time and part in Northampton Hos- pital until his death, which occurred July. 16, 1901. 2. Thomas F., men- tioned hereinafter. Mrs. Asahel Barker had three sisters and one brother who were named after celebrities of ancient times, and they were among the most influential people in the community. Her sisters were: Cleo- patra, who became the wife of Zenas Watkins, and they resided in Peru: her death occurred November 14. 1851, and his November 25, 1873. Monica, who died July 1. 1875 : she was the wife of Sylvester S. Bowen, who celebrated his eighty-eighth birthday on Sunday. January 17, 1904, and died January 28, 1905. Statira, who died March 17, 1888; she was the wife of William S. Bowen, brother of Sylvester S. Bowen. who died February 15, 1895. The brother, Augustus Caesar Frissell, the only son of Thomas and Hannah Frissell. died November 14, 1851, aged forty-five years.
Thomas F. Barker was born October II, 1838. His education was obtained by walking three miles for five consecutive winters through un- broken roads to the Hinsdale Academy. but for lack of means his course of study was limited. He then taught school for several winters, in which vocation he was very successful, and during this time " boarded round." Early in life he learned the trade of carpenter, and this line of industry he followed at intervals. He had early inspirations and ambi- tions to leave the farm life, which his parents had long followed, and he looked forward to railroading, but circumstances-the providing of a home for a blind father and an insane brother-held him to the farm which his father was endeavoring to clear and he manfully stuck to what seemed his duty. The farm was in Hinsdale on the Peru line, and when he disposed of this property in 1888. he built a pleasant home on Main
525
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
street, Hinsdale, where he now resides. Mr. Barker is an active mem- ber of the Congregational church, and for more than forty years has been a member of the choir connected with that body. He is a staunch Republican, a party worker in his town, has served in several official capacities, and is at present a member of the school committee and parish assessors. He is a strong advocate of temperance. He devotes a por -. tion of each year to t .. veling, and has attended the Centennial, World's Fair at Chicago, the Pan American at Buffalo, and also visited the St. Louis exposition.
Mr. Barker was married May 7, 1863, to Armarilla Pelton, of Peru, a representative of one of the best families of that village. The cere- mony was performed at Hinsdale, Massachusetts, by Kingsley Twining. The following named children were the issue of this union: Mary E., born August 22, 1864, a resident of Springfield, Massachusetts, a gradu- ate of Manchester, New Hampshire, high school, and she has been en- gaged in teaching school successfully for a number of terms at various places. Homer Stanton, born December 12, 1866, died at the age of four years on December 14. 1870. Laura Sermeramis, born November 27. 1871, became the wife of Ernest Spring, and they reside on Park street. West Springfield. Mabel Agnes, born August 19, 1877. died April. 6, 1878. Helen Louisa, born April 2, 1882, graduated from Childs College in Springfield. and has since been employed in that city at No. 21 Harmon avenue. The mother of these children died April 9. 1896. in Hinsdale, Massachusetts, and on August 10, 1899, Mr. Barker married Mary Collins, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who was a native of St. Albans, Vermont. No children were born of this union. It is a fact worthy of mention that each of Mr. Barker's wives was one of twins. Both were estimable women, and the second wife acted the part of mother to the children born of his first marriage.
526
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
JOHN WALDRON FLANSBURGH.
John Waldron Flansburgh, who is living a retired life in Dalton, was born at Coxsackie. Greene county, New York, August 30, 1840. He was a direct descendant of one of three brothers who came to this country from Holland in the middle of the eighteenth century. One brother, Jacob Flansburgh, became a resident of Greene county, New York, the second brother located in Rensselaer, New York, while no record is obtainable concerning the residence of the third brother. Among the children of Jacob Flansburgh was a son, Jacob Flansburgh, Jr., who reared eight children: John, Henry, Jeremiah, Hezekiah, Casper, Katherine, Mary and Tina.
Casper Flansburgh was born November 4, 1816, and was married November 5, 1837, to Miriam Waldron, a representative of one of the old and respected families of Hemlocks, a part.of Coxsackie, New York. By this marriage there were seven children: Ann Eliza, born January 28. 1839, died at the age of eighteen years; John W. is the second in order of birth: Katherine, born April 19. 1842, resides in New Balti- more, New York: Peter, born September 20, 1843, is living in Kinder- hook, New York, and has a family of three sons; Jacob, born July 5, 1845, is married and lives in Coxsackie, New York; Louis, born April 25, 1847, is married and has a family: Levi, born June 5, 1849, has made his home in the west for a number of years. Mrs. Flansburgh, the mother of John W. Flansburgh, died April 13, 1850, and on Janu- ary 28, 1852, his father was again married, his second union being with Katherine Rose, of Jacksonville, New York. They had two children : Deborah, born December 27, 1854, lives in Dalton; and Oliver, born August 13, 1857, and with his wife and two daughters resides in Dalton. John Waldron Flansburgh was reared upon the home farm, where
527
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
he remained until twenty years of age. when with a compainon he made his way to Pittsfield, Massachusetts. He had acquired his education in the common schools, and after leaving the parental roof he learned the carpenter's trade, beginning work in the employ of Jacob Stewart, a con- tractor. After three years devoted to the building industry he took a trip to the west ( 1865), but remained for only a vear. On his return he was engaged in business in Lenox and afterward in Pittsfield, where he secured a liberal patronage, erecting many of the substantial buildings of that city. When his health failed him, he was obliged to abandon his trade and he then purchased a farm at East Chatham, New York, where he resided for a few years or until his health had improved sufficiently to enable him to resume contracting and building, and one of his first contracts was for the construction of the Greylock mills and adjacent buildings in Blackinton. In 1882 he came to Dalton, where he purchased a home, and for a number of years he performed all of the work for the Crane family, at Dalton, building the Congregational church, the Dalton shoe shop and the Union block. In 1889 he retired from active business with a comfortable competency that had been acquired through his unfaltering diligence and careful management. He now owns some good property in Dalton and to some extent deals in real estate. His political allegiance is given to the Republican party, and he and his family attend the Congregational church. December 25, 1862, Mr. Flansburgh was married to Miss Julina M. Vandenburgh. of Pittsfield. Massachusetts, representing one of the old and respected families of the county. She is also connected with the Gallup family. Her mother, Mrs. Marcia (Gallup) Vandenburgh, born 1822. now makes her home with Mrs. Flansburgh. Three children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Flansburgh : Lulu Anna. December 12. 1865. at Winona, Illinois, dur- ing her parents' sojourn of a year in the west. She is now the wife of
528
BERKSHIRE COUNTY
John Hardeman, and they have three children: John Willis, Roy Ken- neth, Donald F. Willis Casper, February 16, 1869, at Lenox, Massa- chusetts; married Grace Groves Beck, and they have two daughters, Marian and Clara. Mabel Julina, October 30, 1870, became the wife of . John A. Dawson, who died a year and a half later, in 1898, and his widow is now with her parents.
C. FREDERICK SMITH.
C. Frederick Smith, of Adams, was born in Schenectady, New York, and when a child came to this city, pursuing his education here in the public schools, although at an early age he entered upon his busi- ness career and has since been dependent entirely upon his own re- sources. When but twelve years of age he worked in an office and in a general store, and since 1891 he has been representative of the New York Life Insurance Company in this place, being the oldest agent in the local service of the company, and ranking with those who are classed as "Two hundred thousand dollar club men." He is also a trustee of the South Adams Savings Bank of Adams. Mr. Smith is interested in various community affairs that have had for their object the welfare and promotion of his adopted city. He is a Mason, hav- ing attained Knight Templar's degree in St. Paul's Commandery at North Adams. He belongs to the Berkshire Lodge of Adams and is likewise a member of the Masonic Club of Adams and the Berkshire Club of North 'Adams. He holds membership in St. Mark's Episcopal church of Adams. Mr. Smith has two sons: Jim R., who is a me- chanical engineer in New York city; and Karl F., a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland.
2475 019
ACME BOOKBINDING CO., INC.
MAY 28 1983
100 CAMBRIDGE STREET CHARLESTOWN, MASS.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.