Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. II, Part 60

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 732

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. II > Part 60

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(VI) Nelson Walling, son of Ishamel Walling (5), was born in Burrillville, Rhode Island, 1813, and died in Millbury, r885. He received a common school education in his native town and learned the business of a butcher, which he followed in Burrillville for some years. He began there in a small way to manufacture satinets, gradually en- larging his business as his capital increased. In 1853 Mr. Walling built a mill at Millbury near the pond, and for a time conducted his business under the name of J. C. Howe & Company and for many years under his own name. He became one of the leading manufacturers of the Blackstone valley, employing three hundred hands at the time of his death. He manufactured fancy cassimeres for many years. He was very prosperous, but used his wealth freely in developing business and was generous in giving to charities and public enterprises. He com- manded the respect of his townsmen and held a leading position for many years in the business of his vicinity. He was largely selfeducated, always ? student. In his younger days he taught school for a time. He was a Republican after the organi- zation of that party, but never cared for public office. He attended the Congregational church, of which he was a liberal supporter. He was a mem- ber of no fraternal orders, preferring to devote his time entirely to his business and his home.

He married (first) Eliza Sayles, of a well known Rhode Island family. He married (second) Sarah Ann Place, June, 1854. in Woonsocket. Rhode Is- land, daughter of Peter and Eliza (Hathaway)

L.J. Stanilt

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Place. She is descended from Peter Place, one of the early settlers of Providence Plantation, an inhabitant there in 1680. Her father was a manufacturer. Children of Nelson and Eliza Walling were: Albert, who was drowned; Hosea, Martin, Caro- line, Amelia, Antoinette, Mary, died young. Chil- dren of Nelson and Sarah Ann Walling were: Eliza, who married George Clement, resides in Washington, D. C .; is in the treasury department ; Anna Adele, resides in Millbury with her mother; Saralı Hortense, resides at home with her mother in Millbury.

LAROY S. STARRETT, of Athol, Massachu- setts, manufacturer of fine mechanical tools, a rep- resentative citizen of the town and its leader in philanthropic works, is a native of China, Maine, born April 25, 1836. He is of Scotch descent and one of the twelve children born to Daniel D. and Anna Starrett, viz. : Orissa, married Newell Rollins; Ann Frances, married Henry Hussy ; Sarah Adams, married Ira

Smart; Minerva, married Elihu Hanson ; John Wesley, mar-

ried Sarah Latham ; Laroy S., see forward ; William R., married

of California; Daniel Franklin, who was drowned in California; Eliza- beth Foster, married John Hall; Samuel C., mar- ried Emnily Mosher; Ann Elizabeth, died young ; Mary Viola, married Horace Sibley, now of Florida. Laroy S. Starrett is what is termed a natural born mechanic, showing this genius when but a very small boy. Instead of spending his pennies for candy as the majority of children do, he bought knives, gimlets, chisels, planes, etc. At the age of seventeen lie left his native place and located in the state of Massachusetts, where he engaged in the pursuit of farming. From 1861 to 1864 he carried on the stock farm of six hundred acres in New- buryport, known as Turkey Hill Farm. All this time the inventive genius in him was developing, and in 1864 he was granted a number of patents for mechanical inventions. The following year he sold his farming interests and started a machine shop in Newburyport, employing a few skilled workmen. In the spring of 1868 he came to Athol, being in- duced to come here largely through the efforts of the late John C. Hill, who, with others, formed the Athol Machine Company, which was incorporated for the special purpose of the manufacture of Mr. Starrett's inventions, prominent among which was the American meat chopper. For about seven years he was general agent and superintendent of the company. Hc then resigned and began on a very small scale the manufacture of squares, surface gauges, steel rules, calipers and other machinist's tools.

His present extensive business operations, which are conducted in three large factories, were started by hiring the lower floor of a shop on the east side of Crescent street, owned by the Cotton Mill Com- pany, and later the whole building. He had much to contend with but his will power overcame every obstacle, including several law suits in defense of his patents, which his competitors undertook to appropriate, and he stands today the largest manu- facturer of fine merchanical tools in the world. At first he made only the combination square, with which his name has become associated all over the world. This square contains a steel rule with a sliding head which may be moved along the rule or detached from it. The rule is graduated into small fractions of an inch on both sides, and with the aid of the head or stock may be used as a square or mitre, a level or plumb. Later he bought a larger and better factory on the other

side of the street, which forms the north end of the present plant on the west side of Crescent street. As his business increased and greater facili- ties were required, he added two stories to the building and in 1894 the remainder of the factory was built, consisting of the middle part-eighty feet -which spans the river, and the south section- eighty fect-with the brick boiler house and grind- ing room-fifty by seventy-five feet-in the rear with other additions. In 1901 the floor space oc- cupied by the company was some sixty thousand square feet. In 1906 (the time of thiis writing) the company has more than double the size of its plant, the floor space now being one hundred and forty thousand square feet, making, without doubt, the largest plant in the world devoted exclusively to the making of small mechanical tools. The entire plant is equipped with electric lights, automatic fire extinguishers and every up-to-date machine and appliance imaginable for the cheap and accurate manufacture of the goods. The works give em- ployment to more than six hundred hands, and this force will soon be increased to one thousand. Mr. Starrett has agents in all parts of the civilized world. It is hard to state accurately just how many different tools are made, as there are so many which are simply varieties and different sizes of some particular tool and not really distinct tools in them- selves. Steel rules form an important branch of manufacture and are made in a great variety of styles in both English and Metric graduations. A large number of different styles of squares are made and micrometer gauges of over thirty different styles, measuring from I inch to 12 inch in thou- sandths or ten thousandthis of an inch and embody- ing a number of improvements in this class of in- struments. Between one hundred and seventy-five and two hundred different styles and sizes of cali- pers and dividers are made. Other articles are bevels scratch ganges, screw pitch gauges, cut nip- pers, depth gauges, hack saw frames, hack saws, stech clamps, speed indicaters, surface ganges, levels, steel tapes, plumb bobs and a variety of other uni- que and popular instruments of precision used by machinists, wood workers and draughtsmen. The tools made by this company are sold in every civi- lized country throughout the world. Special agen- cies are maintained in several cities in England, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Austria, Argentine Republic, Australia and Japan, and on office and store at No. 123 Liberty street, New York city, and at No. 15 South Canal street, Chicago. On January II, 1900, the business was incorporated under Massachu- setts laws with L. S. Starrett, president and treas- urer : F. A. Ball, vice-president : F. E. Wing, clerk. These with M. B. Waterman and W. G. Nims con- stitute the stockholders and directors. In April, 1906, Mr. Starrett took a controlling interest in the Athol Machine Co .. (which he formerly estab- lished) employing about seventy-five hands, and is increasing the business there. He has this year (1006) huilt across Miller's river, in place of a log dam built some thirty-five years ago, one of the finest concrete dams of this modern age, which is likely to stay there for ages to come. It is one hundred and twenty feet long and has a subway six by seven feet, through its center, designed for putting in gas, water and steam pipes, electric wires, etc, as future needs may require. This dam is built upon a solid ledge, a part of it thirty feet below the top. although the water fall is but eighteen feet. This improved dam attracts a great deal of attention and of it the citizens of the town are justly proud. It will stand for all times as an en-

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during monument to the builder, while affording one of the best water powers on Miller's river.

Mr. Starrett has always been a friend to his em- ployes, paid the best of wages and provided the shops with every known plan which would insure their safety and comfort. In the matter of sani- tary precautions he has been a leader. The sys- tem he has employed in carrying off the dust and offensive odors from the plant has been marked and duly appreciated by the workmen. In the polishing and grinding room this is very noticeable. One would hardly know they were in a manufac- turing plant so free is it kept from dust. In May, 1901, a concession was made to the workmen from the company which could be obtained in most places only after bitter disagreements, expensive strikes and a general upheaval of labor conditions. It was a voluntary offer of "nine hours work for ten hours pay." This happy announcement was greeted with much pleasure on the part of all the employes and as they came out of the shops they gathered to- gether and gave Mr. Starrett three hearty cheers and a tiger. Subsequently they gave the head of the business and his associates an informal demonstra- tion of good-will, which was thoroughly understood and appreciated and which gave them genuine satis- faction. Athol will never have labor troubles when employers show such consideration for their help as Mr. Starett does. Having been himself a work- ing man all his life, working with brain as well as with hand, he could readily comprehend the feel- ings of his employes as they paid their respects to his character, his generosity and his manhood1. While he is much interested in the political life of the town, state and country, Mr. Starrett has never entered that arena himself, but has confined himself solely to business. He is a leader in phil- anthropic works, but being quiet and unassuming in his way of distributing gifts. no one, not even himself, really knows the amount of good he has done. He has a dislike of publicity in any form and is the last man to seek recognition for meritori- ous deeds. He is a member of the Home Market Club of Boston and of the Poquaig Club. He is a prominent member of the Methodist Episcopal church, of which he is trustee, and president of the Young Men's Christian Association, in which he is very much interested. He has given the Method- ist Episcopal church a fine pipe organ and a nice parsonage. His career has been one of persever- ance and enterprise and is indeed worthy of com- mendation, and should serve as an example to young men who are ambitious and desire to succeed in the business world. Mr. Starrett contributed one thousand dollars in money and two thousand dol- lars in tools to the San Francisco fire and earth- quake sufferers.

Mr. Starrett married, April 28, 1861, Lydia W. Bartlett, daughter of Henry A. and Hannah Bart- lett, of Newburyport, a descendant of Josiah Bart- lett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Inde- pendence. The ceremony was performed by the Rev. J. M. Merrill. Mrs. Starrett died February 3. 1878. Their children were: Frank Elmer, born February 4, 1862, married Lena Hain and they had nine children: Arthur. Mildred, Sarah, Frank, Dora, Carrie, Philip, John and Charles. The father of these children died January 5, 1904. The family reside in Athol. Ida Stella, born April 24, 1864, married Frank A. Ball. They have two children. Alice Emily, born February 3. 1867. married M. B. Waterman. They are the parents of three children. Lydia A., born January 10, 1878, married Willard G. Nims and they have one child. Mr. Starrett's

three sons-in-law are associated with him in The L. S. Starrett Company, of which he is president.

THE MEAD FAMILY is among the oldest of England. It dates back to the time when surnames were first used in England after the Norman Con- quest, the origin of the name being doubtless from the old Saxon word for meadow. A similar name is Lake, Pond, Wood, Hill, Brook. River and num- erous others. The name was spelled Mede, Meades and Meade as well as Mead, and the spelling with a final "e" is still common in some branches of the family in America.

Among the first emigrants from England to New England were a number of this family. The immi- grant ancestor, whose descendants are given in this sketch, was Gabriel Mead, who will be mentioned below. He was of Dorchester, while in the ad- joining town of Roxbury settled William and Rich- ard Mead, known to be brothers. William was the John D. Rockefeller of his day, making a liberal bequest to the Roxbury Free School. There was another William Mead at Gloucester before 1639. Joseph Mead was an early settler of Stamford, Connecticut. There is no proof of relationship other than that mentioned, but the nearness of Rich- ard and William to Gabriel suggests that the family tradition about four brothers emigrating may be correct. The birthplace of none of the first settlers is known, so the lien of English ancestry has not yet been traced

(I) Gabriel Mead, the immigrant ancestor of Charles Torrey Mead. of Holden, Massachusetts, was born in England, 1589, and was an early settler of Dorchester. Massachusetts. He was admitted a freeman there May 2, 1638, and his wife Joanna was a church member there in 1638. He died at Dorchester, May 12. 1666, aged seventy-seven years. His will was dated January 18. 1654. and proved July 17, 1667. He mentioned his wife Joanna; children Lydia, Experience, Sarah and Patience, all under age. The children: Lydia, named in will, married. October 19. 1652, James Burges; Israel, baptized September 2, 1639, resided in Watertown and Dorchester: Experience, baptized January 23, 1641-42, married, December 4, 1664, Jabez Heaton ; Sarah, baptized January 4, 1643-44, married, No- vember 31 (sic), 1664, Samuel Eddy: Patience, bap- tized March 29, 1646, married, April 28, 1669, Mat- thias Evans; David, baptized July 7, 1650, see for- ward.

(II) David Mead, son of Gabriel Mead (1), was born at Dorchester, Massachusetts, 1650, bap- tized July 7. 1650. He settled at Watertown, but lived also at Lexington, Billerica and Woburn, Massachusetts. He was admitted a freeman 1683. He owned land at Billerica bought of Christopher Web. He married (first), at Watertown, Septem- ber 24. 1675. Hannah Warren, probably daughter of Daniel and Mary ( Barrow) Warren. She died in 1711 and he married (second), at Woburn, Mary Dana, September 15. 1713. Children of David and Hannah Mead were: I. Hannah, born September 7. 1676, married Lieutenant Ebenezer Locke. 2. David, born 1678. at Cambridge, died in Waltham, February 25. 1767, aged eighty-nine years; mar- ried, February 5, 1707-08, Hannah Smith and had six children : she died October 4. 1723: their grand- son. Jonathan Mead. settled in Hardwick, Massa- chusetts. 3. Hopestill, born in Cambridge, was selectman of Waltham 1746. also selectman of Cam- bridge; married Elizabeth Hastings. 4. John, born at Woburn. Massachusetts, August 14. 1685, see forward. 5. Joshua. 6. Sarah, born October 24,

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1688, at Woburn. 7. Susanna, born October II,

1690, at Woburn. 8. Benjamin, born January 19.

1693, at Woburn, and lived there.

(II) John Mead, son of David Mead (2). was born at Woburn, Massachusetts, August 14. 1685. He settled at Weston, formerly part of Wat- ertown. He married (first) Rebecca and ( second), September 30. 1733. Mary Coolidge. Chil- dren of John and Rebecca Mead were: Lydia, born April 7, 1714: Israel, born August 27, 1716, see forward; Rebecca, born March 1, 1718-19; Hannah, born August 13, 1721.

(IV) Israel Mead, son of John Mead (3), was born in Woburn, Massachusetts. August 27, 1716. He resided in Medford. Watertown and finally Charlestown, Massachusetts. He was taxed in Charlestown in 1765-66. He owned considerable property that was destroyed when Charlestown was burned by the British. It was located in the vicin- ity of what is now called Mead street. He was a hatter by trade, with a shop in Charlestown. Family tradition informs us that Israel had a negro slave and at the battle of Bunker Hill, in which his master took part as a volunteer, he offered the man his freedom if he also would fight. The negro won his freedom fairly. Several sons of Israel Mead appear on the records as serving in the revolution. Israel Mead served in one of the expeditions to Canada during the revolution, and was allowed his pay for the service October S. 1776. He was commis- sary (assistant) of issues under John Lucas in 1779.

He married, about 1750, Mary Robbins, born in 1728 and died at Cambridge, September. 1797. aged sixty-nine years. Their children were: I. Israel, Jr., born December 27, 1751. died at Medford, De- cember 29. 1835. aged eighty-four years; said to have been in the revolution. 2. Mary, born June 23. 1753, married Cutter and lived in Arlington on the road to Lexington, and when, April 19. 1775, the British soldiers were in retreat several of thein asked her for shelter and she concealed them in a large brick oven until she was able to hand them over to the proper Continental authorities as prisoners ; a snuff box taken from the clothing of a British soldier who was killed in her garden that day is preserved in the family of Charles Mead. 3. John, born February 22, 1755, said to have settled in Vermont. 4. Susanna, born at Charlestown, July 14, 1765, died February 23, 1766. 5. Nathaniel, born April 25, 1768, see forward.

(V) Nathaniel Mead, son of Israel Mead (4), was born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, April 25, 1768. He lived most of his life in Charlestown, vicinity. He was well educated and his writing shows him to have been a skillful penman. During his active life he was a butcher and prospered in his business. He was in feeble health for some years before his death. His grandson, Charles T. Mead, has some of the furniture with which he began housekeeping about 1793. Nathaniel died June 5. 1813. He married (first) Sally Martin, Novem- ber 10, 1793. She was born March 7, 1770, and died August 3, 1806. Their children were: I. Mary Cutter, named for her aunt, born June 10, 1796, died July 8, 1798. 2. Nathaniel, Jr., born Novem- ber 4. 1797, died March 31, 1828. 3. Sally, born September 10. 1802, died May 25, 1805. He mar- ried (second), October 11, 1809. Sally Kendall, born January 4, 1780, daughter of Jonathan, Jr. and Subbire (Johnson) Kendall. of Harvard. The only child of Nathaniel and Sally ( Kendall) Mead was: 4. Marshal Spring, born October 16, 18II, see forward.

(VI) Marshall Spring Mead, son of Nathaniel

Mead (5), was born at Medford, Massachusetts, a town adjoining Charlestown. October 16, 1811. Ifis father died when he was two years old, and at the age of eight years he came with his mother to live in Leicester. He received a common school education in Medford and Leicester, and prepared for college in Leicester Academy which he attended for four years. He expected to go to Amherst College, but at the last moment had to give up his plans for a liberal education. But he was always a student. He was fond of Greek and used to read his Greek Testament a great deal. He took charge of his step-father's farm after his mother married ( second) Abel Green. He was later given the farm and carried it on from the time he left school until he sold it in 1855 to John Daniels. He then bought the old Willard Howe place in the northern part of the town, about a mile from the Leicester com- mon. He carried on this farm for the next twenty years, when he made another change. He bought the Joseph Hubbard farm in Holden in 1875. This farm of one hundred and sixty acres in the west part of Holden on the road to Rutland, he conducted until 1879, when he sold it to his son, Charles Torrey Mead, the present owner. The father, Marshall S. Mead, bought a farm in Pax- ton Centre, where he lived until he gave up farm- ing in 1887. He lived the remainder of his days in Holden, where he died March 25, 1890. He was living with his son on his old farm in Holden dur- ing the last three years. Mr. Mead was a member of the Leicester Congregational church originally, but had transferred his membership to the Paxton church late in life. In politics he was a Whig. Free Soiler, member of the Liberty party and Republican, in turn. He was a delegate to one of the conven- tions of the short lived Liberty party. He was very active and earnest in the anti-slavery movement.

He married, December 29. 1842, Mrs. Tirza (White ) Bemis, born at Spencer, October 15. 1806, daughter of Jonathan and Ruth (Converse) White, of Spencer. Her father was a farmer. Children of Marshall Spring and Tirza Mead were: Charles Torrey, born October 12, 1848, see forward; George Whitfield. born June 17. 1851, married Myra Wil- lard. of North Grafton, and they had no issue.

(VII) Charles Torrey Mead, son of Marshall Spring Mead (6), was born at Leicester, Massa- chusetts. October 12, 1848. He attended the public schools and Leicester Academy. When not in school he spent his time helping his father on the farm. At the age of twenty he began to work for Jere- miah Drake, of Spencer, and later for D. H. Wil- son, of Leicester, then for Josiah Green, Jr., at Spencer. He left farm work to enter the employ of Horace Lamb, at Northampton, where he had charge of a tinning frame in the wire mill for two years. He returned to Leicester and worked there a couple of years, and then went to work for his father in Holden. He has resided in that town since February 23, 1875. After four years he bought his father's farm, and has since then con- ducted it with fair profit and success. He has an excellent dairy and makes butter for the neighbor- ing market in Worcester. He is a member of the Holden Congregational church. In politics he is a Republican. He belongs to Holden Grange. Pat- rons of Husbandry, and of the Farmers' and Me- chanics' Club of Holden.

He married, May 31, 1877. Augusta M. Hubbard, born at Holden. January 14. 1848, daughter of Stephen Nye and Lucy Ann ( Fuller) Hubbard. of Holden. Their children are: Roy White, born January 7, 1886; Hazel Alma, born August 11, 1897.

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JOHN MARSHALL FRENCH, M. D., of Mil- ford, Massachusetts, well known as one of the lead- ing members of the medical profession in his vicin- ity, and prominent in literary, fraternal, and relig- ious circles, is a lineal descendant of Lieutenant William French ( ffrench or ffrenche), who was born in Halsted, Essex county, England, March 15, 1603. He married (first) Elizabeth (surname un- known, but now believed to be Elizabeth Symmes, sister of Rev. Zachariah Symmes), and had four children born in England. He came to America with Rev. Thomas Shepard and his brother Samuel, Roger Harlakenden, and George and Joseph Cooke, in the ship "Defense," in the summer of 1635. He settled first in Cambridge, and in 1652 was one of the original proprietors and first settlers of Bil- lerica. He was lieutenant of the militia, and after- wards captain ; was the first man chosen "to sit in the deacon's seat." 1659: "Comitioner to estab- lish the cuntry rates" the same year; one of the first selectmen in 1660, and served nine years : com- mittee to examine children and servants in "Read- ing. religion, and the catechism." 1661: the first deputy, or representative of Billerica in the general court at Boston, chosen in 1660, and taking his seat in 1663. A tract written by him, entitled "Strength Out of Weakness." in which he gives a detailed account of the testimony of an Indian convert, was published in London, and afterwards republished in the Massachusetts Historical Society Collection. His wife Elizabeth bore him ten children: Francis, Elizabeth, Mary, John, Sarah. Jacob, Hannah. Han- nah (second), Samuel, and Samuel (second). She died March 31, 1668, and he married (second), Mary, daughter of Thomas Lathrop, of Barnstable, and widow of John Stearns, of Billerica, by whom he had four children: Mary (second), Sarah (see- ond ), Abigail, and Hannah (third). He died No- vember 20, 1681, at the age of sixty-eight years and eight months, being survived by his second wife, who afterwards married Isaac Mixter, of Water- town, as his second wife.

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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. II, Part 60

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 732

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 732