Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. II, Part 72

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 72

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).

(11]) Reuben Comins, son of Jacob Comins (2), was born in Oxford, Massachusetts, December 4. 1737. He was a farmer. He served in the French and Indian war, and also in the revolution. His grandson, Edward 1. Comins, has in his possession a certificate showing that Reuben Comins was ac- cepted in the place of Corporal Nehemiah Stone, drafted for service against Canada April 7, 1758, by Captain Jonathan Tucker. Singularly enoughi Stone was the maternal grandfather of Edward 1. Comins, and one grandfather took the place of an- other on this occasion. Stone was the town clerk just before the revolution, and Mr. Comins has the original petition or remonstrance against the Boston port bill, signed, among others, by Reuben Comins. Many of the signatures were apparently copied by Clerk Stone from other lists, as many of the names are signed by him. The date is 1774. Reuben Comins married Mary Parker. She was born in Malden, Massachusetts, November 16, 1737. He was a farmer and also a tanner by trade. Their children, born in Charlton, were: I. Achsan, born September 22, 1763, married Jabez Willis, December 19, 1793; they lived and died in Charlton, leaving a number of children; Naomi, born April 16, 1766, married, April 16, 1789, David Ward, and had sev- eral children; after the death of her husband she removed to Hubbardston, where she died; Reuben, born July 24, 1768, married Betsy Clark, of Ox- ford, lived in Charlton; Barnabas, born March 21, 1771, married Mary Bacon, daughter of Deacon Daniel Bacon, of Charlton, and they had nine chil- dren, one of whom, Linus Bacon, became mayor of Roxbury and member of congress from a Boston district for two terms; he was born August 28, 1817; Mary, born March 6, 1774, married Joel Par- ker, and removed to Calais, Vermont, where they had children ; Elizabeth, born October 30, 1778, mar- ried Asa Bacon, settled in Charlton and had six boys and four girls; Issachar, born August 28, 1782.

(IV) Issachar Comins, son of Reuben Comins (3), was born in Charlton, Massachusetts, August 28, 1782. He married, November 3, 1816, Cynthia Wilson, of Spencer, who was born February 27, 1794. She died July 25, 1830, aged thirty-six years. He married ( second ). April 10, 1831, Lydia Marble, widow of Jacob Marble, daughter of Nehemiah

Stone (6). She was born March 23, 1792. Issachar Comins was a carpenter and a finished workman. He served from fourteen until he was twenty-one years old learning his trade, and receiving as pay his board and clothes and four weeks schooling a year. His indenture papers are in the possession of Ed- ward I. Comins, the subject of this sketch. His children, three by the first wife, one by the second, were : William, born February 19, 1817; Reuben, May 10, 1819; Henry Barnabas, April 23, 1830; Edward Issachar, November 16, 1833. ( Incorrectly given 1835 on the Charlton records.)

(V) Edward Issachar Comins, son of Issachar Comins (4), was born in Charlton, Massachusetts, November 16, 1833. Mr. Comins was brought up on a farm. In his early youth he worked on his father's farm except for the short terms in the dis- trict school in winter. When he was seventeen years old he was sent to Leicester Academy with the understanding that he should teach school the following winter to pay the cost of the course in the academy, and he taught in Spencer that first winter. Mr. Comins found school teaching to his liking and continued his studies. Ile graduated at the Bridgewater Normal school in 1860. Before that, however, he had taught in Charlton in the public schools in the winter, and also kept a private school during the spring and fall seasons,

which was attended by students from other towns as well as Charlton. After he graduated he took position in the Quincy schools, where he taught for three years. fle came to Worcester in 1864 to take a place as principal in the old Thomas street school, retaining that posi- tion up to the time of the removal of the ninth grade of that school to Belmont street and remain- ing principal of Belmont street school until 1874, when he was transferred at his own request to the Woodland street school, a position that he held for ten years, until he resigned in 1884 to give his attention to the manufacturing interests with which he has since been connected. As a school teacher Mr. Comins was particularly successful in winning the confidence and friendship of the pupils in his charge. He understood the art of teaching thor- oughly. He had a natural aptitude for his pro- fession, and many of the promment citizens now look back with pleasure to their school days spent with him. Since 1884 Mr. Comins has been asso- ciated with his sons in the manufacture of woolen goods at Rochdale. The business was organized by Mr. Comins, his son, Irving E., and his brother-in- law, John D. Clark, a practical manufacturer. ln 1885 Mr. Clark sold his interests to his partners and withdrew from the firm. Later Arthur C., Mr. Comins' younger son, was admitted to partnership. In the past few years the burden of the management lias fallen upon the younger members of the firm. In 1905 the firm was incorporated. The officers of the company are: Edward I. Comins, president; lrv- ing E. Comins, treasurer and manager ; Arthur C. Comins, clerk. The mill is located in the same town, on the same stream, on which the first Comins built his mill. During the last few years the mill, formerly belonging to the late John D. Clark, broth- er-in-law and former partner of Edward I. Comins, has been under the management of Mr. Comins' sons, Irving E. Comins being president, and Arthur C. Comins treasurer and manager. The Comins mill is located near the village of Rochdale, which is in the town of Leicester, while the mill itself is just over the line in Oxford. Mr. Comins is a member of the Worcester County Horticultural Society and the Worcester Board of Trade (10), and also the Society of Antiquity, which organized under their

256

WORCESTER COUNTY

charter at a meeting held in his house. He has always taken an interest in politics. His first vote was cast for the Free Soil ticket in 1854. Since the Republican party organized, he has been con- nected with it. He has served the city on the school board six years, and director of the free public library, also six years. He has been on the board of trustees for the Associated Charities and Home for Aged Men. Ile was representative to the general court in 1893. He represented his ward four years in the common council, and was presi- dent of the board three years. He was active and efficient in the varied duties of his position in the city government. He took the initiative in the movement to secure the present park system for the city. Ile wrote the order taking the first steps to secure the loan to buy Newton Hill, North Park, Crompton Park, and University Park for the city, against the wishes of the mayor and some of his associates. Mr. Comins has been on the official board of the First Universalist Church for twenty- one years, and for fifteen years was the chairman. He has been on the board of trustees of Dean Acad- emy, and has served as treasurer of the Universalist Publishing House, Boston, Massachusetts. He mar- ried (first), January 2, 1859, at Leicester, Mary Adelaide Clark, daughter of Asa W. and Lydia (Dunbar) Clark. She was born September 17, 1834, and died October 7, 1881, at Leicester, Massa- chusetts, while visiting there. He married (sec- ond), February 22, 1883, Annie C. Wyman. She was born October 2, 1849. She had been his head teacher when he was principal in the public schools of Worcester for fourteen years. His children by his first wife are: Irving Edward, born July 28, 1860; Arthur Clark, August 30, 1871.

(VI) Irving Edward Comins, son of Edward Issachar Comins (5), was born in Charlton, Massa- chusetts, at the old Comins homestead, July 28, 1860. He was graduated from the Worcester high school in 1879, and from Amherst College in 1883. He immediately began his business career in part- nership with huis father, Edward I. Comins, and his uncle, Jolin D. Clark, in the manufacture of Woolen goods at Rochdale. He is at present the president of the company and has been uniformly successful. He served three years in the Worcester common council, one year as president of the council, seven years as director of the Worcester board of trade, and two years as president of same. Mr. Comins married, June 8, 1887, Etta R. Leonard, who was a teacher in the Worcester schools. They had two children: Edward Irving, born March 12, 1889; Leonard Clark, born July 18, 1895, died January 10, 1896.

(VI) Arthur Clark Comins, son of Edward Issachar Comins (5), was born at Leicester, Massa- chusetts, August 30, 1871. He was graduated from the Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1893, after- ward taking a year of post-graduate studies at Harvard. Later he was admitted into the firm of which his father and brother were partners. He married, September, 1899, Margaret B. Lake, of Rockville, Connecticut. She was a graduate of Mount Holyoke, class of 1890. They have one child, John Dunbar Comins, born October 1, 1905.

ISRAEL PLUMMER ADAMS. Randall Adams (I), a descendant of one of the old Saxon families which settled in central England far back in the early history of that country. came to Norwood, a small village in the town in Wem, Shropshire, Eng- land, and purchased a farm of Philip, Earl of Arundell, successor of the Norman Baron Boulier or William the Butler in the year 1561, where he

resided until his death. Randall Adams had two sons, and probably other children, whose names have not been recorded : William (1) and Thomas. Will- iam was born in 1556, and remained with his father upon the farm at Norwood and inherited the estate.

Thomas Adams, Sr., born in 1558, was placed as an apprentice to a tanner of the village of Wem. In the year 1581, he married Margaret Erpe, daugh- ter of John Erpe, of Shrewsbury. In 1583 he pur- chased an estate at Wem, consisting of a house and land and a tannery, where he resided and carried on the business of a tanner until his decease. He had three sons, and probably other children whose names have not been preserved: John, born 1584; Thomas, born 1586; William (II), born 1594.

John Adams, son of Thomas Adams, remained with his father, inheriting the estate at Wem, and carrying on the tanning until his death in 1631, at the age of forty-seven. He left no descendants, and the old estate, by heirship or by purchase, be- came the property of his brother Thomas.

Thomas Adams, Jr., grandson of Randall Adams, was educated at Cambridge for the ministry, but the attractions of wealth and society led him to be- come a merchant in London, where he became very wealthy. He married Ann Mapstead, of Trenton, Essex county, England, by whom he had five sons and four daughters. 111 1627, he became a member of the Massachusetts Company chartered for the settlement of New England. In 1639 he was elected sheriff of London, and in 1646, became Lord Mayor of the same city. In 1650 he founded the free school at his native town of Wem, on the site of the old Adams mansion, and endowed it with a deed of all the estates he owned in Wem.

He was a stanch Presbyterian and bestowed his wealth with a liberal hand on charitable and benevo- lent objects. He had religious books and tracts printed, and sent them to Turkey and Persia, thus being a pioneer in the great missionary work which the English and American churches have followed up with so much success. He gave large sums for the benefit of the poor of London, and in this par- ticular, as well as in the founding of a literary and educational institute in his native town, he resembled the great London banker, George Peabody, who has so lately poured out his millions in works of charity and education. In 1660 he was estimated as among the twenty richest men of London, and in 1661, on the restoration, he was knighted by Charles II. He died in 1668, aged eiglity-one years.

Unfortunately for the American colonies, Thomas Adams, on becoming wealthy, joined the Loyalists against the Puritans and gave most freely of his abundance to the court and king, and entirely forgot Puritanism and the Massachusetts colony, which at one time he so freely encouraged. Had he con- tinued his early interest in the Massachusetts colony, and turned his attention to the coming nations of the west instead of the old nations of the east, and, had he given of his abundance and used his great influence for the cause of liberty and freedom in England and America, instead of royalty and caste, countless monuments of living joy would have arisen to his memory in two hemispheres, instead of the one monument of marble now seen at Sparrow Hall.

William Adams, the ancestor of the Ipswich fan- ily of Adamses, was the youngest son of Thomas Adams, Sr., of Wem, Shropshire, England, from which place he removed to America in the spring of 1628, among the original emigrants of the Massa- chusetts colony. He first settled at Cambridge, Mas- sachusetts, where he remained until 1642, when he removed to Ipswich and took up a large tract of land on the Ipswich river, in what is now called the

257

WORCESTER COUNTY

back part of Hamilton. This tract of land has never passed out of the family but has been handed down for two hundred and thirty years. The de- scendants of William Adams are now found in many parts of America.

The usual type of this family appears to have been tall and muscular in person, with large features, high foreheads, hazel eyes, black hair, and although seldom called beautiful, were often good . looking and generally dignified, hardy and vigorous. Will- iam Adams died in Ipswich, Massachusetts, January 2, 1659, aged sixty-four years. He married in 1619, and had four sons and probably other children whose names are unknown: William Adams (111). born in England, 1620; Nathaniel Adams, born in England, 1022; Samuel Adams, born in England, 1624; John Adams, born in America, 1632.

Samuel Adams, son of William Adams (2), born in 1024. died in Ipswich. He married Mehitable Stacey in 1646. They had one son, and probably other children whose names are unknown. This son, named Nathaniel Adams, was born December 8, 1647, in Ipswich, and died November 28, 1736, aged eighty-nine years. He married Mary Dickin- son, June 30, 1668. They had one son, and probably other children whose names are unknown. This son was Samuel.

Samuel Adams was born in Ipswich, March 8, 1676, and died August 31, 1747, aged seventy-one years. He was a man who was energetic and de- cided, of sterling integrity, firm religious principles, and may be considered as one of the old-fashioned New England fathers. He and his wife, with most of their children, were members of the church at Hamilton. By industry and economy he became possessed of a handsome estate for those days, and was often chosen to offices of trust and honor in his native town. By his will he bequeathed to his wife a portion of money, a life interest in his home- stead, a man servant named Scipio, valued at twenty pounds, and a maid servant named Phillis, valued at thirty-five pounds, two of the last lingering relics of slavery in Massachusetts, which he would leave to the tender mercies of no one save his dear wife, the beloved mistress of Scipio and Phillis. He gave to each of his daughters a handsome portion in money, and to the sons who remained at home he gave each a good farm. To his son James he gave eighty pounds, to his son John he gave one hundred and forty pounds, and to these two sons jointly he gave a tract of land of one hundred and sixty acres, which he purchased in the central part of Massachu- setts; at that period, to the older towns of the eastern colonies of New England, the new El Dorado of the west, to which the young men in search of new homes migrated.

Samuel Adams married Mary Burley, September 28, 1706. They had ten children, viz .: Mary, born October 10, 1707; Samuel, November 6, 1709; Sarah, December 2, 1711; Nathaniel, January 21, 1713; Andrew, February 25, 1715; James, April 14, 1717; John, September 13, 1719; Elizabeth, December 3, 1721; Jonathan, May 6, 1725; Eunice, March 4, 1730.

John Adams, son of Samuel Adams, of Ham- ilton, was born at that place September 13, 1719, and died at Northbridge. John and James Adams moved to Northbridge about 1735, and built a log house and commenced a farm on a tract of land which their father purchased, September 21, 1732, of Seth Aldrich, of Uxbridge, and David Batcheller, of Sutton. John and James, who were very intimate in youth, commenced the active duties of life to- gether, and remained steadfast friends to the end. They united with the church in their native town,

at the same time, February 7. 1742, and were both prominent among the founders of the venerable church now at Northbridge Centre.

James married Elizabeth Dane, of Ilamilton, April 6, 1742, and soon commenced housekeeping in the pioneer cottage at Northbridge, where the two brothers resided and carried on the farm jointly until the death of their father in 1747, when they divided the land, agreeably to his request, into two equal parts, of eighty acres each, James taking the part now owned by Plummer Adams, and John the Christopher Adams place.

John Adams married Elizabeth Whipple and they had ten children. The Adamses now living on the place where John settled, Edmund A., son of Christopher Adams, are direct descendants of him. The place has been handed down from generation to generation. James Adams, however, came to Northbridge a year before John. The story of the difficulties and hardships of the first settler has been handed down in the family. James Adams built a small hut and lived alone while clearing the land. He slept in the loft and had a spring board arranged so that it would snap against another and make a noise like a gun to scare away prowling wolves and bears at night. He used to draw up the ladder after him as additional protection against the In- dians and animals. He used to make weekly trips to George Hill in Grafton for provisions; going on Saturday night, returning Monday morning. His brother, John, however, soon joined him. James Adams died August 2, 1804. He had ten children by his wife Elizabeth Dane, namely : James, died young ; Nathaniel, married Lucy Woods, of Southborough, Massachusetts, December 14, 1768; Frances, mar- ried, April II, 1780, Abigail Taft; Elizabeth, mar- ried David Temple, of Grafton; Samuel, born 1754, married Olive Jones, of Grafton; Israel (twin), see forward; Anna (twin), married Ezekiel Gold- thwait; Lydia, Moses, married Elizabeth Whipple, of Grafton; James, had the intervale land that his father bought of Christopher Winter. Besides bringing up a large family of children, James, the first settler, cleared ten thousand dollars, which was a large sum for that time.

Israel Adams, son of James Adams, was born in Sutton, Massachusetts, 1753. died May 30, 18II. He married, January 10, 1787, Joanna Dodge, who died July 26, 1838, at the age of seventy-eight. He suc- ceeded to the homestead and lived there during his life, a very prosperous and successful farmer and lumber dealer, and a devout member of the Ortho- dox church at Northbridge Centre. Northbridge was set off from Uxbridge in July, 1772, as a district and incorporated as a town August 23, 1775. Adams Corners is a village of Northbridge. Israel Adams made his will May 8, 1811, and it was filed June 5, 18II. His real estate was divided among his heirs, five children, December 8, 1814; the three youngest being minors. Children of Israel and Joanna (Dodge) Adams were: Phila, born March 22, 1789; Tyler, June 2, 1791 ; Eunice, May 29, 1793; Moses, May 29, 1796, see forward; Lucy, June 23, 1799. All were born at Northbridge. (See Sutton history.)

Moses Adams, son of Israel Adams, was born May 29, 1796, at Northbridge, Massachusetts, and died there September 5, 1874. He inherited the homestead at Adams Corners, Northbridge, and carried on extensive farming and stock-raising. He used to ship large quantities of beef and pork to the Providence and Boston markets. Like his father he was a liberal supporter of the Orthodox (Con- gregational) church. He was identifed with the Republican party from its infancy. His will is dated October 24, 1870. He married Harriet Wood, sister

11 -17

₹58

WORCESTER COUNTY

of Perry Wood, of Mendon, Massachusetts, June 3, 1828. She died June 30, 1878, at the age of sev- enty-three. Children of Moses and Harriet Adams were: 1. Harriet Elizabeth, born April 18, 1829, died May 15, 1814. 2. Moses Perry, born January 21, 1832, died April 28, 1833. 3. Perry, born Septem- ber 21, 1834, lives in Upton. He married Lizzie Mccutcheon Maine, September, 1888, as second wife. His first wife was May Thompson Maine. They were married in the fall of 1873. They had one son, Alleine, born August 2, 1876. Alleine lives in Worcester. 4. Tyler Herbert, born May 16, 1841, died August 28, 1850. 5. Albert W., born September 4. 1845. He lives in Grafton. He married Maria Aldrich, of Connecticut, February, 1882. They have two children: Nathan A. and Lizzie A., born March 21, 1883. 6. Israel Plummer Adams. see forward.

Israel Plummer Adams, son of Moses Adams, was born at Northbridge on the old Adams home- stead, July 16, 1848. He was educated in the public schools of Northbridge and at Barre Academy, Vermont. He bought the old homestead when he was twenty years old and has carried it on ever since. Built a new house, erected new barns and other buildings and from time to time added by purchase to his farm. His farm is one of the largest and most productive in the town. He has a herd of about fifty cows and his dairy is famous. He also devotes much of his attention to market gar- dening and the lumber business. In one winter he cut some seven hundred cords of wood on his es- tate. His success, the product of his energy, industry thrift, is well attested by the broad and well culti- vated fields. He is active in public affairs and a lead- ing Republican of the section. He has been over- seer of the poor of the town of Northbridge, assessor for thirteen years and selectman for ten years. He is a member of the Orthodox church.

He married, May 21, 1874, Emma H. Rixford, daughter of Harvey C. and Harriet (Day) Rixford, and they have four children, viz .: Samuel H., born January 17, 1876, attended the public schools, Wor- cester Academy and Hinman's Business College. Austin, born March II, 1881, graduate of Hinman's College. Harriet E., born August 23, 1883, edu- cated at Northfield Seminary and Hinman's College. Lucy D., born July 28, 1890, attends the Grafton high school.

JOHN C. CRANE. Henry Crane (1), the im- migrant ancestor of John C. Crane, of Millbury, Massachusetts, was born in England in 1621. Ile settled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and is the pro- genitor of the Milton branch of the family to which United States Senator Winthrop Murray Crane be- longs. He bought a farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Dorchester together with a house, Sep- tember 1, 1654. A road was laid out through Dor- chester woods from Braintree to Roxbury passing Henry Crane's house. This was the first road over Milton Hill and was laid out by Braintree, now Quincy. There is an autograph letter of Henry Crane written May 7, 1677, in the Massachusetts archives, Vol. 30, page 239, in answer to an order to dispose of three Indian servants, the colony hav- ing made it unlawful to hold Indians in bondage. He was selectman in Milton in 1679-80-81. He was one of the trustees of the first meeting house in Milton. He was engaged in iron manufacture in Dorchester and Milton and acquired considerable property.

He married (first) Tabitha , in England. She died 1681. He married ( second), 1683, Eliza- bell Kinsley, daughter of Stephen Kinsley, of Mil-

ton. He died in Milton, March 21, 1709. His chil- dren: Benjamin, born about 1656, wounded in King Philip's war in the swamp fight December 19, 1675; Stephen, born about 1657; Henry, Jr .; John, born January 30, 1658-59, see forward; Elizabeth, born August 14, 1663. married (first) Eleazer Gil- bert and (second) George Townsend; Ebenezer, born August 6, 1665; Mary, born November 22, 1666, married Samuel Hackett; Mercy, born Jan- uary I, 1668; Samuel, born June 8, 1669; Anna, re- sided at Taunton.

(II) John Crane, son of Henry Crane, was born in Milton, Massachusetts, January 30, 1658-59. He settled in Taunton, Massachusetts, but removed to Berkeley, where he died August 5, 1716. He mar- ried, December 13, 1686, Hannah Leonard, daughter of James and Hannah Leonard, of Taunton. Her father, Captain James Leonard, was one of Leon- ard brothers, who started the first forge for iron work in America. Among their children was Jolin.

(III) John Crane, son of John Crane (2), was born in Berkeley, Massachusetts, died there October 31, 1777. He married Hannah Adams, a descendant of Henry Adams, of Braintree. She was buried at Oxford, Massachusetts. Among their children was Lemuel.

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.

Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. II, Part 72

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