Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. I, Part 55

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 55

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He married Betsey W. Allen, of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Their children, all born in Wor- cester, were: I. George Allen, born January 7, 1833, now associated with his brother Charles B. Gates, proprietor of the business conducted as John Gates' Sons, lumber dealers at 179 Union street, Wor- cester. 2. Harriet Davis, born January 8, 1836. 3. John Bradford, born April 16, 1839. 4. Mary Eliza- beth, born March 3. 1841. 5. Albert Holmes, born July 14, 1842. 6. Albert Stearns, born January 21 or 23, 1844. 7. Emory Winslow, born June 22, 1848. 8. Charles B., born September 12, 1851.

(VIII) Charles B. Gates, son of John Gates, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, September 12, 1851. His early home was on Central street. He attended the public schools, Worcester Academy and Leicester Academy. He entered the University of Michigan as a special student, and graduated there from the Law Department in 1874 with the degree of LL. B. He practiced law in Michigan for a short time, then returned to Worcester. He was admitted to the Worcester county bar in 1875, and opened an office in Fitchhurg. Massachusetts. Two years before his father died the lumber business on Union street was closed out. In November. 1877. Charles B. Gates and his brother Emory IV. Gates decided to revive the business. A part- nership was formed under the firm name of John Gates' Sons The taste for a business life was stronger in Mr. Gates than the love of a professional career as a lawyer, so he abandoned law to take up his father's business as a lumber merchant. Un- fortunately his brother died at the very outset of the new firm's career. in 1880, and Charles B. Gates has carried the business on alone. really building it up to its present proportions. The name of his firm stands well among business men. The central location has perhaps given the business some ad- vantages for retail trade. Mr. Gates simply buys and sells every kind of lumber according to the de- mand. He has no mill and manufactures none of his stock. As a business inan he ranks high. He has tended pretty closely all his life to his busi- nes‹ interests, and has not entered politics or other business. He is well known in Masonic circles. He is a member of Athelstan Lodge, of Eureka Chap- ter, of Hiram Council, Lawrence Chapter of Rose Croix, Worcester County Commandery. and has taken the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite

PUBLIC LIBRAP NN. Fairbanks

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in Masonry. He is a member of the college fra- ternity Phi Delta Phi, which is especially strong in the western colleges. He is a Republican.

He married February 2, 1881, Ida Evelina Noble, at Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was the daughter of Charles E. Noble and Jerusha P. (Crosman ) Noble. Her mother was born at St. Johnsbury, Ver- mont, 1824, and removed in 1830 to Michigan, where the family settled. Her father was in the railroad business, and during the last years of his life was gen- eral eastern agent of the Michigan Central and Great Western Railroad with offices in the Astor House, New York city. He died in New York, 1873. Her mother is living (1905) at the age of eighty-one. She was born November 22, 1851, at Detroit, where the family was then located. They have two chil- dren, both born in Worcester. I. Burton Noble, born December 19, 1881, spent two years in Cornell University, graduated at Clark College, Worcester, in 1905, and will take graduate courses in Clark Uni- versity next year. His specialty in college has been biology. 2. Aleene Crosman, born September 28, 1886, graduate of the South high school at Wor- cester, now a student in the Burnham Preparatory school at Northampton, Massachusetts.

JOSEPH CHARLOTLE DAPPER, artist, of Worcester, was born in Rhine, Hessen, Germany, April 12, 1861, a son of Matthew and Emilie (Mil- ler) Dapper, who were born in Mayennce, on the Rhine, Germany. Matthew Dapper ( father) served in the capacity of judge. They were the parents of three other children, all of whom reside in Germany and are married, namely: Eugenia, Lud- wig, who serves as judge in a high court; and Franz, a district attorney in Metz.

Joseph C. Dapper pursued a course of study in art at the Royal Academy in Munich under the famous painter, Carl von Piloty, who for the greater part of his life, was a member and professor of the Munich Academy. He began his studies in 1878 and continued up to 1883, a period of five years. In 1884 he came to the United States, locating in practice of his profession with several artists. Later he opened a studio in the building on the southwest corner of Fifth avenue and Fourteenth street, New York city, where he remained for a number of years. In 1899 lie took up his residence in Worcester, Massa- chusetts, and opened a studio in the Dexter build- ing, No. 540 Main street. He makes a specialty of portrait work, in which line he is highly proficient. In the city of New York, September 2, 1891, Mr. Dapper was united in marriage to Miss Alex- andria C. Enig, who was born in Roeskilde, Den- mark, January 5, 1868, a daughter of Andreas Enig, a musician. Their children are: May W., Alice E., Harry H., and Helen E. Their residence is at No. So Merrick street, Worcester.

WILLIAM HENRY FAIRBANKS. Jonathan Fairbanks (1), the immigrant ancestor of William Henry Fairbanks, of Clinton, Massachusetts, was born in England before 1600 and came to Boston with his family in 1633, remained there about three years, and then settled in Dedham, where he was one of the pioneers. He was a singer of the famous Dedham Covenant. His house is still standing at Dedham and is now owned by the family associa- tion, having been occupied to the present time by Jonathan and his lineal descendants. He was ad- mitted to the church August 14, 1646, and was a town officer. He married Grace Lee, who died December 28. 1673. He died at Dedham, December 5, 1668, and his will was proved January 26 fol-

lowing. The children: John, died November 13, 1684; George, died January 10, 1682-3; Mary, born April 18, 1622, married Michael Metcalf; Susan, married October 12, 1047, Ralph Day, of Dedham : Jonas, see forward; Jonathan, Jr., dicd January 28, 1711-2.

(II) Jonas Fairbanks, son of Jonathan Fair- banks (1), was born in England, and came to Dedham with his parents. He signed the covenant in 1657, and March 7, 1659, became one of the fathers of the town. He was a farmer and believed to be a carpenter also. In 1652 he was fined for wearing great boots, not being worth two hundred pounds, the amount of wealth prescribed by the laws of the colony in 1651 to suffice for men who could law- fully wear great boots. He removed to Lancaster in 1657. There he met his death in the assault by King Philip and fifteen hundred warriors, Febru- ary 10, 1675-6. Some fifty persons were slain that day, including Joshua Fairbanks, son of Jonas.

Jonas Fairbanks married, May 28, 1658, Lydia Prescott, daughter of John Prescott, who came from Sowerby, Halifax, England, the same place that the Fairbanks came from. Lydia was born in Wa- tertown, August 15, 1641. After Fairbanks was killed she married (second) Ellis Barron, of Wa- tertown, Groton and Lancaster. The children of Jonas Fairbanks: Marie, born June 20, 1659; Joshua, April 6, 1661, killed by Indians; Grace, November 15, 1663; Jonathan, October 7, 1666: Hasadiah, February 28, 1668, married John Moore, of Concord, January. 1, 1698; Jabez, January S, 1670-I, see forward; Jonas, May 6, 1673, was of Watertown, 1695-6, when he sold to brother Jabez land of their father Jonas; died September 13. 1697, and is buried in his brother Jonathan's lot.

(III) Captain Jabez Fairbanks, son of Jonas Fairbanks (2), was born at Lancaster, January 8. 1670-1, and he settled there after the war. He died March 2, 1758, aged eighty-seven. He was a very efficient soldier and officer in the Indian war, and was no doubt incited to heroic exploits by the massacre of his father and brother in 1676 and of New York city, and for a time was engaged in the . his only surviving brother in 1697 during a raid on

the town. At the time his brother Jonathan and one of his children were killed, Captain Jabez was the means of saving a garrison and perhaps many lives including that of his own little son Joseph. Twenty-one persons were killed in this raid, two were wounded and six carried off captives, of whom five were ransomed later, including the wife of Jonathan Fairbanks. In 1700 Jabez had lands laid down to him on both sides of Dane's brook above Thomas Sawyer's saw mill. This site was the homestead of Jabez and his descendants for a hundred years. He was deputy to the general court in 1714-21-22-23.

He married Mary Wilder, daughter of Thomas and Mary (Houghton) Wilder, who died Feb- ruary 21, 1718, in her forty-third year. He married (second), March 25, 1719, Elizabeth Whit- comb, who died May 11, 1755, aged about eighty years. The children of Jabez and Mary were: Jo- seph, born 1693, see forward; Jabez; Elizabeth, married Deliverance Brown, December 24, 1718; Jonas; Thomas: Abigail, married Major Henry Willard, of Ashburnham, descendant of Major Si- mon Willard; Jonathan, baptized June 18, 1710; Grace, baptized February 27, 1712, married Joseph Brown, March 27, 1733; Joshua, baptized March 28. 1714; Anna, baptized November 18, 1716, married. April 5, 1738, Simon Butler.

(IV) Deacon Joseph Fairbanks, son of Jabez Fairbanks (3), was born in Lancaster, Massachu- setts, 1693, and died at Harvard, December 6,

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1772, in his seventy-fourth year. The section of Lancaster in which he lived was set off in the new township of llarvard in 1732, and he was dismissed from the First Church at Lancaster to the new church at Harvard, September 9, 1733. He was selectman of Harvard in 1733-35-43-45-52, and was town treasurer from 1736 to 1740. He was the first deputy to the general court from the town, sent in 1740, but he declined and Peter Atherton served instead. He was a prominent citizen for many years and was on most of the town commit- tees appointed to protest against and resist British aggression. The old homestead at Harvard is owned by Andrew Fairbanks. It was built about the year 1720.

Deacon Joseph Fairbanks married. April 21, 1718, Mary Brown, who died November 14, 1791, aged ninety-one years, eleven months and six days. Their children: Phineas, born April 8, 1719; Mary, October 17. 1721, died October 22, 1721. Joseph, November 4, 1722; Mercy, February 6, 1724-5. died February 17, 1724-5; Cyrus, May 23, 1726, died Sep- tember 3, 1736; Mary, January 19, 1729, married, October 12, 1748, John Priest; Lydia, August 16, 1731, married, February 18, 1756, Manasseh Sawyer ; Elizabeth, May 1, 1734, died November 19, 1736; Amos, April 21, 1737; Relief. December 31, 1739, married December 31, 1760, Caleb Sawyer.

(V) Captain Amos Fairbanks, son of Deacon Jo- seph Fairbanks (4), was born in Harvard, Massachu- setts, April 21, 1737. He was a farmer. He was a soldier in the French war, a private in the foot company from Harvard commanded by Captain Israel Taylor, of Harvard, Colonel Oliver Wilder's regiment, in 1757. He was an ensign in the oldest military company in 1774 was lieutenant when the company responded to the Lexington call, April, 1775. and captain in the miscellaneous service dur- ing the revolution. Ile was on the committee of safety and correspondence in Harvard, 1780. He was deacon of the church, elected November 28, 1786, resigned November 4, 1798. He died January 4, 1809, aged seventy-one years, eight months and twenty-three days.

He married ( first), April 23, 1760, Lucy Gates, who died November 12, 1767, aged twenty-eight years, twelve days. He married ( second) Rhoda Sawyer, who died February 23. 1813, aged seventy- two years. Children of Captain Amos and Lucy Fairbanks were: Jacob, born June, 1761, died young ; Jacob, May 6, 1762; Lucy, March 24, 1764. married Reuben Whitney; Mercy, March 28, 1760. The children of Captain Amos and Rhoda Fair- banks: Amos, born September 5, 1769, see forward ; Noalı, June 23, 1771; Rhoda, June 15, 1774, mar- ried Josiah Haskell, Jr .; Joseph, February 19, 1776; Daniel, October 20, 1778, died March 10, 1779; Mary, February 24, 1781.

(VI) Amos Fairbanks, son of Captain Amos Fairbanks (5), was born at Harvard, Massachusetts, September 5, 1769. died March 28, 1837. He settled at Harvard, on the old farm. He mar- ried, April 27, 1794, Rebecca Whitney, born April 13. 1777, daughter of Israel and Hannah (Mead) Whitney, of Harvard. She died at Charlestown, Massachusetts, October 15, 1763, at the home of her daughter. Eliza Seymour. aged eighty-six years. Their children, all born at Harvard, were: Horace, October 15, 1795, resided at Boston, married Amelia Dodge, July 13, 1818; Amos, November 27, 1799; Clark, February 13, 1802, died May 7, 1885 : Israel W .. November 1, 1804; Zopher, October 20, 1806, resided at Duxbury, married Harriet C. Longley, December 31, 1833, died December 14. 1879: Rebecca, August 5, 1808, married, February 23, 1836, Edmund Sawyer,

of Warner, New Hampshire ; Henry, June II, ISIE. see forward; William, May 4, 1813, died 1817; Eliza, September 6, 1718, married, October, 1844, Friend Seymour, and lived at Charlestown.

(VII) Henry Fairbanks, son of Amos Fair- banks (6), was born at Harvard, Massachusetts, June II, ISII, on the old homestead. He received a common school education in his native town and learned the butcher's trade. He was in business. in Princeton and Sterling, and drove a market wagon to Boston from 1850 to 1870. About 1870 he re- moved to Sudbury and subsequently returned to- Sterling, where he died January 18, 1897, in the eighty-sixth year of his age. He married Martha Conant, who died August 25, 1858, in Princeton, and is buried in Acton, Massachusetts. He mar- ried (second) Sarah A. Moore, of Sudbury, who died in Sterling and was buried in Sudbury. He married (third ) Lucinda Brown, died in Sudbury. The children of Henry and Martha Fairbanks were: William Henry, born at Littleton, November 7, 1841, see forward; Martha Ann, born at Littleton, died aged eight years; Ellen Maria, died December 9, 1897; Albert Conant, born September 5, 1852, married Emma T. Sprague; Curtis Albro, born September 27, 1855, died 1871. Albert Conant Fairbanks is a successful manufacturer of musical instruments, and wood rims for bicycles and other vehicles, the patent for which is his. Ilis com- pany has a large plant for manufacturing the wooden rims in England and also at Tonawanda, New York. He was a member of the city council of Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1893-94.

(VIII) William Henry Fairbanks, son of Henry Fairbanks (7), was born at Littleton, Massachusetts, November 7, 1841. He was educated in the public schools of the neighboring towns of Sterling and Acton. He became associated with his father in the meat business. In 1865 he started in business on his own account in South Lancaster. In 1867 he removed to Hudson, Massachusetts, and carried on

the meat and provision business there for three years. From 1870 to 1875 he was in the manufact- uring business in Boston, making rubber syringes and other goods. He settled in Clinton in 1875 and since then has been engaged in the meat and provision business there. He has also dealt exten- sively in cattle and horses, buying his stock in the west by the carload. He has been successful in business and commands the esteem and confidence of his townsmen. He is a Republican in politics, but has never cared for public office.

He married, at Sterling, Mary Jennie Bailey, born at Northborough, Massachusetts, March 3, 1840, died September 5, 1895, daughter of Charles M. and Mary (Rice) Bailey. Her father was a tanner by trade. The children: May Bailey, born. May 30, 1871, formerly a teacher in the Clinton public schools, now residing at home; Harry Co- nant, born October 23, 1881, now a partner in his father's business.

LAWRENCE WILLMORE PENNINGTON. Arthur Pennington (I), father of Lawrence Will- more Pennington, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was born in Birmingham, England. He married Sarah Shaw, daughter of William Shaw, of Birmingham, England. They were married at Birmingham and lived there. He was a tool maker and chain maker by trade. After making ready to go to America twice they finally started in March, 1854, with their son Lawrence. Arthur Pennington died on the voyage over. His widow remained in Boston for about two years and then returned to her old home in Birmingham, England, with her two chil-

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dren, the younger having been born on the voyage to America. A few years later she married Wil- liam Empson, and had several children, only one of whom is now living, Emma, who married John Asbury, and now or recently was living in Provi- dence, Rhode Island. Sarah Shaw, mother of Lawrence W. Pennington, was the only daughter among thirteen children borne by her mother. Her father married twice and had in all twenty-five children. (She died in Birmingham in 1869.) The children of Arthur Pennington were: Lawrence Willmore, born at Birmingham, England, February 26, 1852; Arthur, born on the voyage from England to America, March, 1854, returned to England, came to Providence, Rhode Island, after he was grown up, but soon returned to his native place, where he married Julia Howland.

(II) Lawrence Willmore Pennington, son of Arthur Pennington (1), was born in Birmingham, England, February 26, 1852. He came to America first with his parents when two years old and re- turned a few years later to England with his mother and brother. He was brought up and educated in Birmingham. He is a graduate of Midland In- stitute, receiving in 1873 the degree of Master of Arts. He had specially good training in draughting and designing, for which he early showed a special aptitude.

He learned the trade of manufacturing jeweler and followed his trade in England for a time. In 1870 and 1871 he was designer and pattern maker for Joseph Josephs & Son, St. Paul's Square, Birmingham, England, who had at that time the reputation of making the highest grade and most costly diamond and precious stone jewelry of any makers in England. In 1871 he patented his first invention, a reversible "E" ring top, and sold forty- three designs at considerable profit. In 1872 he patented a scarf stud and sold sixty-one, designs. In 1873 he patented eighteen designs used in the jewelry trade, a window curtain pulley, a new sus- pender buckle, a separable cuff button, patented in the United States, and sold to George Mason. In 1873 he came to the United States and located at Providence, Rhode Island, where he worked as foreman for a number of the large manufacturing establishments, such as Thomas Quail's, Millin & Hutchins, and here he invented his method of iri- descent coloring of metals, which was a great money maker for him. He also had a secret process for straight and for basket coloring that was in great demand. He invented about this time a contriv- ance for bending scrolls and another for setting stones and pearls. In 1874 he returned to England and stayed about three years, and while there pat- ented several more valuable patents, one of which netted him for some time a hundred pounds a week. He made a machine for cutting joints for bracelets and lockets.

He returned to the United States in 1878. After working a short time at Newark, New Jersey, he returned to Providence, Rhode Island. Here he taught the workmen of Dity Wilcox the trade of diamond ring manufacturing. He opened his own shop on Peck street, Providence, in 1878, and began to manufacture jewelry. Much of his work, how- ever, was applying his process of coloring and lap- ping to the work of other Providence jewelry manufacturers. For Rice, Allen & Mason alone he did contract work to the amount of seventy-five dollars a day profit. Twice he enlarged his shop, moving first to Dyer street, then to Eddy street. In. 1887 he transferred his business to Worcester. In 1879 he sold George Mason his process for inlay- ing and producing colors on metals. From 1878

to the time of his removal to Worcester he pro- duced a series of valuable inventions, used by man- ufacturers of jewelry, most of which are of too technical a nature to be described here.

His first location in Worcester was at 81 Me- chanic street, where he made all kinds of jewelers' goods to order. He developed a large business, designing all kinds of jewels, diamond settings, de- signing and making emblems, badges and insignia of all sorts. He made goods for retail jewelers in all parts of the state. He had to move soon to better quarters on Main street, at the corner of Mechanic. He continued to experiment, invent and patent new devices. In 1886 he invented a method of soldering metal to glass; in 1891 he brought out his process for soldering aluminum; in 1891, after he had be- come interested in pyrography, he invented a poker for the work, and in 1894 devised the electric pencil, for permanent writings and drawings on glass, china and all delicate surfaces; in 1896 he invented a new process for casting gold and silver hollow. It is doubtful if any man in his line of work has pro- duced more useful and numerous inventions than Mr. Pennington. He continues to experiment as he has the opportunity.

He opened a retail store at 6 Elm street in con- nection with his manufacturing business. In 1904 he removed to No. 377 Main street, where he is now located. Mr. Pennington has made many famous designs. He made the Ten Eyck charm and pin, and the Prince Henry souvenir, consisting of the Worcester city seal wrought in ivory and silver, presented to Prince Henry of Prussia, March 6, 1902, by the citizens of Worcester. As far back as 1869 he took a queen's prize for pencil drawing of his teacher. In 1870 he took a prize for a bronze de- sign. He has a burnt wood picture in the Dublin. Art Gallery 'and a portrait of President Roosevelt in the White House.

It is as an artist in burnt wood that Mr. Pen- nington has made himself famous. He was a few years ago conceded to be the best artist in burnt wood in this country. Pyrography has become in the last few years the most attractive and popu- lar form of art among all classes and ages. The. beautiful and skillful work of Mr. Pennington has done as much to inspire the devotion to this form of art as anything else. His exhibitions have in- terested many to learn how to do burnt wood pic- tures. When Mr. Pennington began to burn pictures on wood he found the art in a crude state. He broke away from the conventional scrolls and designs- and attempted successfully pictures requiring deli- cate shading and coloring. He was probably the. first artist to make a distinctly successful picture of nude figures in burnt wood. The first large pro- duction which is now famous, is the "Diana's Hunt- ing Party," owned by J. F. Regan, of Worcester. This picture brings out in elaborate detail thir- teen figures over fifteen inches in height, while the effect of foliage and water is produced very naturally and effectively. This picture is as large as the original painting, eight feet long and forty- two inches in width. The original painting by Hans Makart in the Metropolitan Art Museum of New York is one of the best known productions of any artist. At the time Mr. Pennington made this beautiful specimen of his art, it was pronounced the largest, most elaborate and artistic specimen of pyrography ever produced.

Mr. Pennington has made many hundreds of pictures since he began to study burnt wood art. He has been a prize winner in exhibitions in New York, Chicago and Boston, besides numerous ex- hibitions in smaller cities. One collection of his

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pictures was exhibited in London and Germany. Among his best are "Reveries" and "The Golden Age." While much of his work is original in de- sign, he has made very artistie reproductions of many famous paintings, such as Rosa Bonheur's "Head of a Lion," Paul Potter's "Head of a Bull and Cow." "Lion in His Cage," and "Words of Comfort," which is a specially fine piece of work representing an aged woman reading to her husband, siek in bed. Another large production of Mr. Pennington's is the "Battle of Newbern," which is forty-four inches in length and fourteen in width, containing four hundred and thirty different figures. He made for Nathan I. Durlech, of New York, a reproduction of "Nymphs and Satyr." a well known painting. Another speci- men of his best work is "Bacchante Awakening," a life size nude figure, beautifully drawn and colored. It is fifty-four inches by seventy-two inches in size. It is a copy of the painting by Frederick Krans. Another large work is a reproduction of Le Quesne's "The Daughters of Menistho," four feet five and three-fourth inches by six feet, one inch. The "Nymphs and Satyr" picture was the largest of all, being six feet by nine and a half. One of his most successful collections of burnt etchings con- sisted of portraits of members of the Mitchell fam- ilv of London, made from photographs. It is im- possible to give an adequate idea of the extent and variety of Mr. Pennington's work with poker and aluminum pencil. He received much assistance from his daughter, Lavinia, who was also a clever artist. Mr. Pennington has never joined any seeret orders and is not a club man. Most of his burnt wood pietures were produced at home evenings. For the past thirteen years he has resided at No. 13 June street, Worcester.

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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 55

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