Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. I, Part 13

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 824

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. I > Part 13

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WORCESTER COUNTY

of common pleas in the county of Bristol. In

1699, during the administration of Lord Bellamont, he was again appointed a justice. John Browne, Sr., was born in 1505 and died April 10, 1662. His wife died at Swansey, Massachusetts, January 27, 1673. The children of John Browne (I)

were : Ensign Jr.,

John, in England,

died last of March, 1662; ( settled in Reho- both and had these children: John, born last Fri- day in September, 1650; Lydia, August 5 or 6, 1656; Annah, January 29, 1657; Joseph, April 9, 1658; Nathaniel, June 9, 1661; Major James, of Swansey, born in England 1623, died 1710; Mary, born in England, married, July 6, 1636, Captain Thomas Willett, of Plymouth, the first English mayor of New York city, who was twice elected to that of- fice. William, resided in Salem, not mentioned in will and not proved to be son of John Browne (I). (II) Major James Brown, son of John Browne (1), born in England in 1623, was in Taunton in 1643 with his father, the assistant, and went with him to Swansea, Massachusetts. He was said to be a Baptist and preacher. He was chosen an assist- ant in 1665. He married Lydia Howland, daughter of John Howland, who came over in the "May- flower," and all his descendants are likewise de- scended from Mayflower ancestry. He died October 29, 1710, aged cighty-seven years. Their children were: James, born at Rehoboth, Massachusetts, May 4, 1655, died at Barrington, Rhode Island, 1725; Dorothy, born at Swansey, Massachusetts, August 29, 1666, married Kent; Jabez, born July 9, 1668, at Swansey, Massachusetts.

(III) James Brown, son of Major James Brown (2), born at Rehoboth, May 4, 1655 (or May 21), died April 15, 1718, aged fifty-nine years, (probably should be sixty-two); married Margaret Denison, June 5, 1678. She died May 5, 1741, aged eighty- four years. He was a sergeant in the militia. All his children were born in Swansey. They were, as recorded : Lydia, born January 23, 1678-9, died Feb. ruary 1, 1678-9: Mary, September 1I, 1680; Mar- garet (given by Savage), June 28, 1682; Lydia, July 28, 1684; James, September 7, 1685; Mary, July 5, 1687; Peleg, February 28, 1688; William, June 2, 1690; Dorothy, May 7, 1694.

(IV) William Brown, son of James Brown (3), was born June 2, 1690. He married (first) Eliza- beth -, about 1710. She died April 27, 1725, aged twenty-seven years. He married (second) Rebecca Follett, October 27, 1725. He died Feb- ruary 26, 1731-2. He settled at Rehoboth, where all his children are recorded except William. As the records clearly show that the son is William, Jr., he must be the eldest son of William, there being no other William at Rehoboth or Swansey at the time. The 'children of William Brown were: Will- iam, born about 1710; Consider, September 8, 1711 ; Amos, May 28, 1714; Elizabeth, June 14, 1716; Bethiah, July 8, 1718; Jerusha, August 27, 1720; Ezra, August 18, 1722; Rebecca, April 17, 1725; Noah, August 7, 1726; Isaac, August 24, 1728; Ann, March 13, 1729, died October 27, 1731; Ann, Jan- uary 8, 1731-2.

(V) William Brown, son of William Brown (4), was born about 1710 at Rehoboth, Massachusetts. He married at Rehoboth, Ruth Walker, October 10, 1728. The births of their eleven children are all recorded at Rehoboth. He was commissioned a cavalry officer. Ruth Walker was born December 2, 1710, and died March 6, 1790. She was descended from Widow Walker, one of the original settlers of Rehoboth, Massachusetts. Widow Walker was born about 1620. Her son, Philip Walker, married in 1654 Jane , and died in 1679, leaving sons, Samuel, and Philip Walker.

Samuel Walker, son of Philip Walker (2), was born 1655, died 1712. He served in King Philip's war under Major Bradford. He married Martha Ide (born 1654, died 1700), daughter of Nicholas Ide, who also served in King Philip's war under Major Bradford. His son, Samuel Walker (4), was born in 1682 and died in 1712. He married Rutlı Bliss, who was born 1687. Their daughter, Rutlı Walker (born December 2, 1710, dicd March 6, 1790), married William Brown, Jr., as already stated October 10, 1728. William Brown, Jr., settled at Rehoboth. Their children were: Ruth, born Sep- tember 10, 1729; Lucy, October 26, 1731; Sarah, November 6, 1733; William, November 22, 1735; Sarah, December 4, 1737; Samuel, March 25, 1740; Molly, April 18, 1742; John, July 10, 1745; Deb- orah, August 29, 1747; Chloe, October 1, 1749; Huldah, December 4, 1751.

(VI) Lieutenant Samuel Brown, son of William Brown, Jr. (5), was born at Rehoboth, Massachu- setts, March 25, 1740. He married (first) Esther Bucklin, January 5, 1764. She died about 1777. He married (second) Polly Luther, of Warren, August 23, 1778. She died in 1782. He married (third) Huldah Hunt, January 16, 1783.

The children of Samuel Brown (6) were: Sam- uel, born March 2, 1765, married Polly Brown, March II, 1801; Josiah, October 18, 1767; Lucy, October 20, 1770; Esther, October 16 1772; Mollie (probably a twin of preceding), October 16, 1772 (1774 on records, obviously an error) ; Theophilus, April 9, 1774; Abigail, February 12, 1780; Eliza- beth, October 22, 1781 ; Luther, July 21, 1782; Jo- seph, March 2, 1787; Ira, January 15, 1791; Peter Hunt, January 13, 1793.

(VII) Samuel Brown, son of Samuel Brown (6), born at Rehoboth, Massachusetts, . March 2, 1765, died in 1820. He married Ada Hardy, died 1847, daughter of Samuel and Betsey (Walker) Healy, of Seekonk. Betsey Walker was born in 1753 and died in 1839, daughter of Nathaniel Walker, of North Providence (born 1703, died 1783), who married, 1727, Anna Sweeting (born 1707, died 1772). Nathaniel Walker was son of Philip Walker (born 1661, died 1739), who married Sarah Bowen daughter of William Bowen (born 1671, died 1739). This Philip Walker was son of Philip and grand- son of Widow Walker, already mentioned in this sketch. Samuel Brown settled at Rehoboth. Chil- dren of Samucl and Ada (Healy) Brown: I. Will- iam, born August 19, 1797, married Louisa Glad- ding, of Providence. 2. Mary (on Rehoboth records) born , March 17, 1801. 3. Albert, born (date given in Rehoboth records) March 20, 1804. 4. Elizabeth Walker, (record from her grandson, Appleton L. Clark) born September, 1813, died November, 1891, married Appleton Purdy Lesure (born May 13, 1814, died August 4, 1865). 5. Abby, married A. R. Marsh, resided in Boston (birth not recorded at Rehoboth). 6. Theophilus, born September 12, 1811, married Sarah Ann Knowlton.

(VIII) Albert Brown, son of Samuel Brown (7), born at Seekonk, Massachusetts, March 20, 1804, married, 1828, Mary Blair Eaton. (See Eaton Family, also Rice Family). Mary Blair Eaton was a descendant of Adonijah Rice, the first white child born in Worcester. Albert Brown learned the tailor's trade and located first in Providence. He came to Worcester about 1825 and opened an "Em- porium of Fashion" as he called his shop, on Main street, opposite Central street. He took into part- nership his brother William Brown, and under the firm name of W. & A. Brown they were the first mer- chant tailors located in Worcester. At the death of Al- bert Brown, September 29, 1854, the surviving part- ner took his brother Theophilus Brown into the

WORCESTER COUNTY

firm, and at present the firm is conducted by W. T. Brown, son of Theophilus. Albert Brown was a well known citizen of Worcester. He represented his ward in the common council. He went to England with the Peace Commission, and his de- scendants treasure a Bible given to him by Richard Cobden, with whom he formed an acquaintance there. He was to some extent an owner of shipping. He was a member of the Mutual Fire Society of Worcester. Children of Albert and Mary Blair (Eaton) Brown: I. Albert Samuel, born Worces- ter, February 22, 1829, of whom later; 2. Henry William, born Worcester June 21, 1831; married Harriet B. Rathbone. 3. James Stewart, born Jan- uary 12, 1834, of whom later. 4. Mary Eaton, born April 15, 1835, died April 29, 1843. 5. James Stew- art, born September 12, 1837; married first, Fanny Emma Childs of Worcester ; married (second) Eliza- beth Johonnot; is treasurer of the Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank; veteran of the civil war; prominent in business and financial circles in Wor- cester. 6. Sarah Dean, born in Worcester, Feb- ruary 13, 1840, married George Wilson Ryerson, of New York. 7. Emily, born January 24, 1842, married John Stanton Baldwin, formerly editor and pub- lisher of Worcester Daily Spy. (See sketch Bald- win Family). 8. Edwin, born in Worcester, March 24. 1844. married, June 12, 1872, Mariana Mifflin Earle. daughter of Timothy K. and Nancy (Hacker) Earle of Worcester. 9. Charles Eaton, born January 23, 1847. 10. Mary Louisa, born June I. 1849; married Stephen C. Earle, the well known architect of Worcester. 11. Ada, born September 29, 1852, died February 3, 1869.

(IX) Albert Samuel Brown, son of Albert Brown (8), was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, February 22, 1829. He attended the public schools of his native town until he was sixteen years old, when he entered a wholesale woolen house in Bos- ton. After a short time he took a position in Colla- more's crockery store in Boston. He finally re- turned to Worcester to enter business with his father in the store and tailor shop. In 1853 he made a trip to Europe, partly for business and partly for pleasure. When he returned home he worked for a time in a Worcester crockery store. In 1860 he bought out J. P. Hale's crockery store and began business on his own account. The store was lo- cated at 181 Main street. He added wall paper to his line of goods and later moved to 284 Main street. In 18So he sold his store to E. G. Higgins, the wall paper dealer, whose business grew to be the largest of its kind in New England, Mr. Brown retired from active business life after selling his store. He loved travel and spent two years in Europe. He made his home in Worcester until his death, September 14, 1900.

Mr. Brown stood well as a citizen and business man. He was highly esteemed for his manly char- acter and many good qualities. He was a member of the First Unitarian Church and later of the Church of the Unity and was a teacher in the Sun- day school. In politics he was a Republican. He served the city in the common council. He was a member of no secret orders or military organi- zations.

He married, November 28, 1860, Ellen M. Morse. daughter of Mason Hl. and Maria ( Bigelow ) Morse, of Worcester. Mason H. Morse was a car- penter and builder. He served on the building com- mittee when the Church of the Unity to which he belonged erected the present edifice on Elm street. Ellen M. Morse, as well as Mr. Brown, was a de- scendant of the first white child born in Worcester. She was born March 22, 1837. Maria Bigelow was

the daughter of Lewis and Sophia Bigelow, and was born in Worcester, April 1, 1815, and married May 24, 1836. (See sketch of Bigelow family). Mr. and Mrs. Brown had no children. Mrs. Brown re- sides at her home in Worcester, 21 Elm street.

(IX) Henry William Brown, son of Albert Brown (8), born in Worcester, June 21, 1831, died February 21, 1900, at Daytona, Florida, where he was spending the winter. He married Harriet B. Rathbone, of Providence, Rhode Island. He grad- uated from Harvard College in 1852, and from Harvard Divinity School in 1857. He preferred teaching to the ministry, and from 1875 to 1896, a period of twenty-one years, was an instructor in the State Normal School of Worcester. His serv- ices in the school are best told by quoting the words of Principal E. Harlow Russell.

" Coming to the school so soon after its beginning, he had much to do with shaping its policy and io establishing the depart- ment which he maintained with so much efficiency and distinction. A graduate of Harvard College and later of the Harvard Divinity School, io his early years he was a clergyman, but left tbat pro- fession for the more congenial one of teaching. He may certain- ly be said to have given the best years of bis life to the service of the Worcester school. He was always thoroughly in sympathy with the aims and purposes of its administration, loyal to its princ- ipal. appreciative of its excellencies, and considerate to a marked degree of its defects. With his fellow teachers his relations were most friendly They felt the strength that he brought to the faculty, and always regarded him with affectionate admiration. While not an ambitions man, as the word is ordinarily used, his standard of excellence was high, and he gave to his professional work the best that was in him. He was a ripe scholar, with a thorough command of the classical languages and literatures, but he never ceased to be a diligent student, with a genuine taste for knowledge of all sorts, in the lines of science as well as of litera . ture. His most conspicuous service to the cause of education was probably his translation from the German of Prof. Preyer's famous books, 'The Mind of the Child,' and Mental Develop- ment in the Child.' Mr. Brown's intimate acquaintance with German, acquired during two periods of residence in Germany, together with his command of a clear, idiom tic English style, render these translations of the highest authority and value. The work was published by D. Appleton & Co .. New York, in their International Education Series, and the translation received the highest commendation from the editor of the series, Dr. William T. Harris, United States Commissioner of Education,

Mr. Brown was a man of unusual refinement, of lofry ideals and of warm affections. These qualities, combined with his ample intellectual equipment, made him a teacher of rare breadth and power. The graduates of this school will bear unanimous testi- mony to the quality and permanence of the influence lie exerted upon growing minds, an influence appreciated by them more and more with the lapse of time. Although his standard was high, his dealings with individual pupils were always felt to be just and humane. and in his classes there was no tyranny and no friction. It may be truly said that among the bundreds of young people who have come under his instruction here, there was not one who did not feel toward him not only profound respect but warm esteem. And his attachment to the graduates was shown by his manifest pleasure in meeting them on their visits to the school and his genial speeches to them at their annual reunions. The gradnates have a permanent memorial of him which they greatly prize in the shape of a reunion song composed for them by him some years ago, and which is sung yearly to the tune of " Fair Harvard " at their annual gatherings. When Mr. Brown was in Worcester last autumn he was invited by a committee of graduates to sit for his portrait for the graduates' room of the school This he did, and the result, a large photograob by Notman, of Boston, proved a most satisfactory likeness and is now of priceless value. To the large body of graduates who for a score of years have en- joyed Mr. Brown's instructions, as well as to the circle of his more intimate friends, the news of his death will come with a sense of personal loss "

He had one son, Conway Rathbone. who died while a student and undergraduate at Harvard, at the age of twenty-three years.

(IX) J. Stewart Brown, son of Albert Brown (8), was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. September 12, 1837. He was educated in the public and high schools of Worcester, and began the active duties of life by entering the employ of Henry W. Miller, proprietor of a hardware store, with whom he re- . mained several years : later he established a house- furnishing business of his own which he continued until the breaking out of the civil war. At that time he was sergeant of the old Worcester Light Infantry, and was made sergeant of his company in

WORCESTER COUNTY

the famous Sixth Massachusetts Regiment, which was mustered out August 2, 1861, and which was attacked which marching through the streets of Baltimore to Washington, District of Columbia. In the fall of 1861 he went to the front with a com- mittee of relief, with between eleven and twelve hundred dollars contributed for the Worcester sol- diers. In November, 1862, he was commissioned adjutant of the Fifty-first Regiment, Massachusetts Infantry, participated in the battles of Kinston, Whitehall and Goldsboro, North Carolina, and was mustered out July 2, 1863. Later lie entered the cominissary department with the Ninth Army Corps and remained until the close of the war, receiving his honorable discharge April 16, 1865. Upon his return to civil life Mr. Brown again entered the employ of Mr. Miller, remaining two years. He then engaged in business on his own account, manufacturing braid and shoe laces, and after conducting the same for four years disposed of the business in order to accept the office of water registrar of the city of Worcester, which he filled to the satisfaction of the various administrations, and to the people of the city, until his resignation in 1883, when he ac- cepted the treasurership of the Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank, to which he had been elected. For nearly twenty-five years he has been the ex- ecutive head of this large and prosperous savings institution, which, judged from every standard, is one of the most successful of its kind in the city. It has shown a wonderful growth in the total de- posits and investments. He is a director of the Mer- chants' and Farmers' Fire Insurance Company, of Worcester, rendering faithful service in that capacity. Upon the organization of George H. Ward Post, No. 10, Grand Army of the Republic, he was ap- pointed the first adjutant, and he has been a constant and earnest worker for the best interests and welfare of the post ever since. He has also been an officer of his regimental association since its organization. In the war play, "The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," which has been given for many years annually in the Worcester theatre, he took, for a number of years, the part of Frank Rutledge, and his achieve- ments in this part will never be forgotten by his comrades and those who attended the performances. The excellence of the cast originally had much to do with the perennial popularity of this grand old war play in Worcester. The Grand Army of the Republic has netted a considerable income every year from the week's performances of the "The Drum- mer Boy," as it is commonly called. Mr. Brown is a member of the Unitarian church. In politics he is a Republican.

He married (first), September 26, 1872, E. Fan- nie Childs, born at Hartford, Connecticut, April 29, 1845, died in Worcester, Massachusetts, May 13, 1894, daughter of Gardner and Fannie (Goulding) Childs, of Worcester. The children of this union were : Albert, born November 2, 1877, educated at the Worcester public and high schools, and a grad- uate of the American Academy of the Stage, which he attended for three years; he has made a very promising start in his first professional engagement on the stage. Helen Elizabeth, born in Worcester, July 21, 1886, attended the Worcester public schools, and was a graduate of the class of 1904 of Prospect hill school, at Greenfield, Massachusetts. He mar- ried (second), June II, 1896, Harriet E. Johonnot, born September 3, 1848, at Boston, Massachusetts, daughter of Ambrose E. and Elizabeth (Gaffield) Johonnot, of Boston.

(IX) Edwin Brown, son of Albert Brown (8), was born in Worcester, March 24, 1811. He at- tended the Worcester public schools, leaving the high school in 1860 to accept a position in the City

Bank, afterwards the City National Bank, absorbed in 1903 by the Worcester Trust Company. At the age of eighteen he enlisted in Company C, Fifty- first Regiment, and served in the campaigns i11 North Carolina and Maryland. He returned to Worcester with his regiment in 1863, and became book-keeper at the City Bank, but after two years was called to the Worcester National Bank, where he became teller, remaining in that position for one year, when he was called back to the City National Bank as teller and assistant cashier. He continued there until 1871, when he went into business with his father-in-law, Timothy K. Earle, becoming a member of the firm of T. K. Earle & Co., whose factor" for the manufacture of machine card cloth- ing for cotton and woolen mills was located on Grafton street, Worcester. In 1880 a stock com- pany was formed under the name of the T. K. Earle Manufacturing Company, with Mr. Brown as treasurer and manager. Mr. Earle died in 1881, and Mr. Brown continued the business for the com- pany until 1890. At that time there was a con- solidation of the various card clothing factories of the country under the name of the American Card Clothing Company. Mr. Brown was treasurer of the new corporation, and he held that position until 1905, when the company was liquidated.

Mr. Brown is a vice-president of the Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank. He was one of the founders of the Quinsigamond Boat Club in 1857, and in his younger days was the stroke oar of the crack crew of that club, which formerly held the championship of the lake, and which rowed on the Hudson river at Troy, New York, October 9, 1867. in the first national amateur regatta in the United States. Mr. Brown has always taken an interest in healthftil athletics and sports. He was a charter member of the Worcester Club, and is a member of the old Worcester Fire Society, a veteran mem- ber of George H. Ward Post, 10, G. A. R .; a life member of the Worcester County Mechanics Asso- ciation ; a member of the Worcester Natural History Society; the Worcester Society of Antiquity; the Tatnuck Country Club, and was formerly a member of the Commonwealth Club; the Grafton Country Club; and the Worcester County Musical Associ- ation. He is a Republican. He belongs to the First Unitarian Church.

He married, June 12, 1872, Mariana Mifflin Earle, daughter of Timothy K. and Nancy ( Hacker) Earle. Their children are: I. Earle, born in Worcester, August 15, 1873; graduated Harvard University 1895; was in business two years; went to Spanish- American war in the First Rhode Island Regiment; then went to Harvard Law School; is practicing law in Worcester, 314 Main street. 2. Edwin Hacker, born Worcester, July 29, 1875; graduated Harvard University 1896, and at Worcester Poly- technic Institute 1898; is a mechanical engineer with the Minneapolis Steel and Machinery Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and is now (1905) at Nome, Alaska, on his fourth trip as engineer for gold mining companies. 3. Caspar Mifflin, born in Worcester, October 13, 1878; graduated at Harvard University 1900; with Graton & Knight Manufac- turing Company of Worcester, and has had charge of their exhibits at St. Louis, Missouri, and Port- land (Oregon) Expositions; while in college he was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club, presi- dent of the Varsity Banjo Club, and was on his class crews and football teams. 4. Lloyd Thornton, born August 20, 1880; graduated at Harvard Uni- versity 1903; now in Harvard Medical School; was president of the Varsity Mandolin Club, and a mem- ber of the Hasty Pudding and other clubs while in college.

WORCESTER COUNTY

(IX) Charles Eaton Brown, son of Albert Brown (8), was born in Worcester, January 23, 1847. He graduated from the Worcester High School in 1863, and from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis in 1867. He was one of the officers of the U. S. navy who were with the first embassy ever received at the court of the Tycoon of Japan, and, when Minister De Long was received, the Americans were entertained with barbaric splendor. The Tycoon had some selected executions of crim- inals, and even some crucifixions to entertain and honor his guests. The U. S. gunboat "Oneida," of which he was an officer, was sunk in the harbor of Yokohama, January 23, 1870, by the British steam- ship "Bombay," and one hundred and twenty of- ficers and men lost their lives. The body of Ensign Brown was recovered and brought home to Wor- cester for interment. He was unmarried.

THE SPRAGUE FAMILY, descended from good old English stock, have an honorable history covering a period of nearly three hundred years in America. The late Hosea Sprague published in 1828 a genalogy of the Spragues in Hingham to the fourth generation. He lived at Hingham, Massa- chusetts, and his personal knowledge of the family aided him in making a compilation of the records, and from it we glean many points invaluable in this connection.

Edward Sprague, of England, was a resident of Upway, county of Dorset, where he died in 1614. He was a fuller by trade. He married Christiana ( family name not given in the record) by whom he had six children : Ralph, Alice, Edward, Richard, Chris- topher, William. Ralph, Richard and William ar- rived at Naumkeag (Salem) in 1628, coming over in the interest of the Massachusetts Bay Company, who decreed that "none but honest and godly men should go over to settle." In "Prince's Chronology" we read: "Among those who arrived at Naumkeag are Ralph Sprague, with his brothers Richard and William, who with three or four more were by Governor Endicott employed to explore and take possession of the country westward. They traveled through the woods to Charlestown, on a neck of land called Mishawum, between Mystic and Charles rivers, full of Indians named Aberginians, with whom they made peace." Hon. Edward Everett in his address commemorative of the bi-centennial of the arrival of Winthrop at Charlestown, said: "Ralph, Richard and William Sprague are the founders of the settlement in this place, and were persons of substance and enterprise, excellent citizens, generous public benefactors, and the head of a very large and respectable family of descendants."

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Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. I, Part 13

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 824

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 824