Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity, Vol. III, Part 53

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 772

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. III > Part 53

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(VIII) James Ira Hanson, son of Joel Hanson (7), was born in West Cambridge, Massachusetts. in what is now the village of Belmont, January 23, 1843. The following sketch is in substance taken from the class report of his Harvard class and was written by a friend and classmate.

He was from sturdy New England stock (his parents still living at an advanced age at the time of his death), although he did not seem to inherit a strong constitution. The family moved to Win- chester, Massachusetts, when he was only a lad, where he was educated in the public schools, fitting for college in the high school, and entering Harvard University in 1861. During his junior year, July, 1864, he imbibed the spirit of patriotism and en- listed for three months as private in the Union Army. He served his full time and was discharged November II. Joining his class again on his re- turn, he graduated with it in 1865. After gradua- tion he began his life-work, teaching in the Lexing- ton high school until the spring of 1866, when he was elected principal of the Uxbridge high school. Here he remained until September. 1868. resign- ing to accept a position as sub-principal in the Wo- burn high school. He was twice invited to this field, but declined the first call because he did not feel that he could honorably leave before the ex- piration of his engagement.

He was married July 14, 1869, to Helen Capron Adams, a lady of refined and educated tastes, whose

acquaintance and friendship he had formed while teaching in Uxbridge.

His connection with the Woburn high school continued through a period of twenty years lack- ing a few months, in all but three of which he held the office of principal. He loved his pro- fession, giving to it his whole attention. As a teacher he held an enviable rank, winning a suc- cess such as few ever surpass. His power of man- aging and instructing young people was natural and without any apparent effort. He was always popu- lar with his pupils, and retained their respect and friendship throughout his lifetime. A thorough scholar himself, he aimed to make his pupils thor- "ough, not alone in scholarship, but in the highest qualities which tend to elevate human character. His college classes, as a rule, passed very creditable examinations for entrance to college, one young man receiving the distinguishing honor of passing the best examination of any in a large class ad- mitted to one of our New England colleges. As a writer and speaker he avoided public notice as much as possible, but showed that he had ability in both directions whenever duty called it forth. As an author, the revision of Peck's "Ganot's Natural Philosophy," a book of large circulation formerly, attests his power and skill. His was a busy life, too busy to afford sufficient recreation. He spent much of his time out of school hours in teaching special classes and individuals who needed extra attention, and for which he received no compensation. He was held in high esteem by the entire community in which he lived, and was a welcome guest in its social circles. He had an ob- serving nature and a keen sense of wit and humor, combined with an originality of expression, which rendered him always an agreeable companion.

While in the army he contracted a disease of the digestive organs which made him suddenly and alarmingly ill at times, which disease followed him through life, but the malady which finally proved fatal had long threatened him. Twelve years be- fore his death he was prostrated by a hemorrhage of the lungs, but recovered in a few months through systematic training and exercise, so as to resume his work and continue in it. Still, he was obliged to struggle continually against this unrelenting enemy, and it was herein that he showed the best qualities of the man, exhibiting a courage and a patience that were heroic. When he saw clearly that recovery was hopeless he sent his resignation to the school committee, who, recognizing the value of his past services, requested him to withdraw it, and to consent to act as principal while he lived, which he did. He died April 15, 1888, uttering these parting words: "In my Father's house are many mansions-there is one for me."

Since the death of Mr. Hanson Mrs. Hanson has resided part of the time in Woburn, part of the time in Uxbridge in the famous old Dr. Samuel Willard house the oldest and most interesting in town. Mrs. Hanson wrote an exhaustive sketch of the history of this old house, which was pub- lished in the Uxbridge and Whitinsville Transcript October 7, 1904. She is especially interested in his- torical matters.

Children of James Ira and Helen C. Hanson : I. Edith Abby, born May 22, 1872; died in Woburn March 5. 1895, then a sophomore in Wellesley Col- lege, a bright. promising young woman. 2. James Chester, born March 20, 1874: died in Woburn May II, 1899; graduated from Harvard University in 1895, and was in his senior year in the Boston University Law School at the time of his death;

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he was second lieutenant in the state militia. 3. Clifford Taft, born July 20. 1877; educated in the public and high schools of Woburn, the Lawrence Scientific School of Harvard University, class of 1901 ; member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon of Har- vard; settled in Toledo, Ohio, and followed his profession of civil engineering until a severe ill- ness compelled him to abandon it: is now a part- ner in the real estate firm of Irving, Hiett & Com- pany, and resides at 543 Winthrop street, Toledo; married, October 6, 1903, Alice Melvin, daughter of James Melvin, of Concord, Massachusetts, and Toledo, a veteran of the civil war. of revolutionary ancestry. Child: James Melvin Hanson, born in Toledo, September 12, 1904.

ADAMS FAMILY. Henry Adams (1), immi- grant ancestor of the Adams family of Uxbridge, Massachusetts, was born in England, and was one of the first settlers of that part of Massachusetts Bay designated Mt. Wollaston, which was incor- porated in 1640 as the town of Braintree, and is now included in Quincy, Braintree and Randolph. He is believed to have arrived in Boston with his wife and eight sons and a daughter, in 1632 or 1633. He died in Braintree, October 6, 1646.

(II) Joseph Adams, son of Henry Adams (I), was born in England in 1626; married in Braintree, November 26, 1650, Abigail, daughter of Gregory and Margaret (Paddy) Baxter, of Boston. He died in Boston, August 27, 1692, aged fifty-eight years. He was a maltster by trade, and a man of some importance. He was admitted a freeman 1653; was selectman in 1673. He died in Braintree, De- cember 6, 1694, aged sixty-eight years. Their chil- dren : I. Hannah, born in Braintree, November 13. 1652; married, April 10, 1672-3 Deacon Samuel Savil, son of William Savil, who died December 14, 1700. 2. Joseph, born in Braintree, December 24, 1654; mentioned below. 3. John, born in Brain- tree, February 12, 1656; died January 27, 1657. 4. Abigail, born in Braintree, February 27, 1658; married John Bass, Jr., son of John and Ruth (Alden) Bass. 5. Captain John, born in Braintree, December 20, 1661; married Hannah Webb; sec- ond, October 19, 1694, Hannah Checkley. 6. Bethia, born in Braintree, December 20, 1661; married, May, 1680, John Webb. 7. Mary, born September S, 1663, died young. 8. Samuel, born September 3, 1665, died in infancy. 9. Mary, born February 25. 1667-8, married Deacon Samuel Bass. 10. Captain Peter, born February 7, 1669-70; married February 12, 1695, Mary Webb, daughter of Christopher Webb. II. Jonathan, born January 31, 1671. 12. Mehitable, born November 23, 1673; married July 21, 1697, Thomas White, Jr.

(III) Joseph Adams, son of Joseph Adams (2), was born in Braintree, December 24, 1654. He mar- ried February 20, 1682, Mary Chapin, who was born August 27, 1662, and died June 14, 1687. He mar- ried second. 1688, Hannah, daughter of John and Ruth (Alden) Bass, and granddaughter of the Pil- grim and Mayflower ancestors, John and Priscilla (Molines) Alden. Hence all descendants of this marriage are eligible to the Mayflower Society. Jo- seph Adams married third, Elizabeth Hobart, daugh- ter of Caleb Hobart, of Braintree. She died Feb- ruary 13, 1739, aged seventy-one years. Joseph Adams was selectman of Braintree 1673 and 1698-9. He died in Braintree, February 12, 1736-7. He and John Bass both served in King Philip's. war in Au- gust, 1676. Children of Joseph and Mary (Chapin) Adams: I. Mary, born February 6, 1683: married April, 1714, Ephraim Jones. Jr .; she died January 30, 1733-4. 2. Abigail, born February 17, 1684; mar-

ried February 5, 1713, Seth Chapin, Jr. of Mendon; married second, Elizabeth - ", who died in Men-

don April 28, 1722. Children of Joseph and Han- nah (Bass) Adams. 3. Rev. Joseph, born January 4, 1688; married first, October 13, 1720, Mrs. Eliza- beth Janvrin, of Newington, New Hampshire; sec- ond, January 3, 1760, Elizabeth Janvrin, of Green- land, New Hampshire; pastor of Newington for sixty-six years. 4. Deacon John, born February 8, 1691-2; married October 31, 1734, Susanna Boyls- ton. 5. Samuel, born January 28, 1694; married October 6, 1720, Sarah, daughter of Deacon Moses Paine. 6. Josiah, born February 18, 1696; men- tioned below. 7. Hannah, born February 21, 1698; married February 4, 1725, Benjamin Owen. 8. Ruth, born March 21, 1700; married November 21, 1731, Rev. Nathan Webb. of Uxbridge; he was the first settled minister, February 7, 1731, at Ux- bridge. 9. Bethia; born June 13, 1702; married April 28, 1737, Ebenezer Hunt, son of Ephraim of Wey- mouth. 10. Captain Ebenezer, born December 30, 1704; married Anne Boylston. Child of Joseph and Elizabeth (Hobart) Adams: II. Caleb, born May 26, 1710; died June 4. 1710.

(IV) Josiah Adams, son of Joseph Adams (3), was born in Braintree, February 18, 1696; married November 25, 1718, Bethia, daughter of Samuel and Hannah Thompson. She was born March 20, 1693. He purchased land at Mendon, January 1, 1734, and was dismissed June 6, 1735, from the church in Braintree to that in Mendon. He died in Men- don, July 30, 1802. Children: 1. Josiah, born in Braintree, September 20, 1722; died January 20, 1742-3. . 2. Josiah. born in Braintree, September 6, 1727 ; mentioned below. 3. Joseph, born in Brain- tree, July 4, 1729; died July 30. 4. Edward, born in Braintree, May 4, 1731; died in Quincy, Massa- chusetts, August 10. 1734. 5. Joel, baptized at Men- don, May 14, 1745. 6. John, baptized in Mendon, December 15, 1745.

(V) Josiah Adams, son of Josiah Adams (4), was born Braintree, September 6, 1727; married December 27, 1750, Sarah, daughter of Lieutenant John and Lucy Reed of Uxbridge, Massachusetts. She was born October 24. 1729. He was a farmer at Mendon. Their children: I. Bethia, born in Mendon, October 14. 1751, probably died young. 2. Dr. Joseph, born in Mendon, August 17, 1754; mar- ried March 22, 1778, Sarah Smith; surgeon's mate 1780; selectman of Mendon; representative to gen- eral court ; removed to Uxbridge in 1828. 3. Dea- con Josiah, born October 20, 1756; married, 1783, Dolly Kinnicut, of Providence; second. December 29, 1791, Mrs. Anna Taft Rockwood. 4. Sally, born April 1, 1759, died young. 5. Bethia, born April 9, 1762 ; married - Waters; no issue. 6. Hon. Ben- jamin. born December 18, 1764; mentioned below. 7. Seth, born January 2, 1768.

(VI) Hon. Benjamin Adams, son of Josiah Adams (5), was born in Mendon. Massachusetts, December 18, 1764. He was a cousin of Presi- dent John Adams, whose lineage was: President John (5); Deacon John (4); Joseph (3); Joseph (2) : Henry (1). Deacon John (4) was brother of Benjamin's grandfather, Josiah (4), and the president was his father's first cousin.

Mr. Adams was educated at Brown University, and studied law in the office of Colonel Nathan Tyler, who had been a Revolutionary officer and was the first lawyer to practice in the southern part of Worcester county. After he was admitted to the bar, Mr. Adams practiced one year at Hopkin- ton. Massachusetts, and upon the death of Mr. Tyler succeeded to his office and his business in the town of Uxbridge. He was too young to enter

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the army of the revolution, but his father and his brothers were all soldiers, and when he was about sixteen years old he mowed for six weeks, cutting all the grass upon his father's place while the women of the family made the hay. Possessed of good ability and steady purpose to make the most of his opportunities, he acquired a substantial prac- tice and what was better, the confidence of his townsmen. He became one of the most prominent men of the county, and on the death of Judge Brigham succeeded him in congress in 1815. His career in congress was marked by no sensational service. He was re-elected from term to term, and served faithfully and ably until 1823. Two inter- esting letters written by him from Washington to his wife have been preserved and are now in the possession of his granddaughter, Mrs. Hanson. They show the conditions of life at the capital, and reveal something of the writer, who took an im- portant part in the period of development of a new system of government for the nation. He wrote January 18, 1819: "In one of my former letters I promised to give you an account of the Dinner then about to [be given] at the President's ( Monroe). The company consisted of about thirty Gentlemen most of whom were members of Congress. We sat down to dinner between 6 & 7 o'clock. The table was about 8 or 9 feet wide & long enough for the company. In the middle of the table, the whole length, was a mirror about 2 feet wide on each edge of which was a frame on which were about 20 gilt images about one foot high with their hands extended higher than their heads with a socket in each hand in which were placed candles to light the table. The dinner was served up in great style. It consisted of turkies, baked mutton, ham, fowls, puddings, pyes, jellies, ice creams, sweet- meats, fruits, etc., etc. served on silver dishes. The plates were guilt edge china, the large knives & forks silver and the fruit knives gold and gold spoons. This is the plain, simple & Democratic stile in which the President treats his company. The furniture in the house corresponds in richness to what I have mentioned." Just at the close of the Madison administration two years before, Janu- ary 6. 1817, he wrote: "I dined with the President on Saturday last with about 15 or 20 members of Congress. I arrived at the president's with other Gentlemen about sunset and was introduced to Mrs. Madison, who is a large, good-looking and agreeable woman & did not set down to dinner till after candle lighting. Mrs. Madison sat at the head of the table, the President's Secretary at the other end of it, the President about the middle way between them. Upon the table was roast tur- keys and mutton, boild ham and fish, soup and a dish made of beef, I believe, but do not know the name of it, several kinds of vegetables & sauces & sweet dishes dressed for ornament, not for use. I sat the fourth from Mrs. Madison, who helped me to several dishes from her end of the

table. * * * After Mrs. Madison had partook of them she retired & the president took her seat & we sat & ate & drank and talked about 1/2 an hour longer & then left the table one after another without any ceremony and went off. Now I hope you will give me credit for giving you a particular account of a Dinner." For the political news he refers his wife to the newspapers. The fascination of Dolly Madison is made evident ; she was the im- portant feature of the Madison dinner, while the famous gold spoons were the chief item of interest in the Monroe dinner.

He was defeated in 1823 by Jonathan Russell by reason of a speech of Mr. Adams in favor of a

protective tariff for American manufacturers, Daniel Webster and the commercial interests of Boston having taken the field against him on account of his sentiments in favor of protecting American in- dustry. "How strange," wrote Judge Henry Chapin in his famous Uxbridge address, "that forty years ago a man should have been sacrificed politically on account of views and opinions which time seems to have taken pleasure in demonstrating was the true policy for New England. It reminds one of the splendid old hymn upon the martyrs :

Flung to the heedless winds Or on the waters cast Their ashes shall be watched And gathered at the last.

"Mr. Adams," according to Judge Chapin, "was a man of peculiarly even temperament, embodying in his self the idea of a pure minded man, an hon- est lawyer and a Christian gentleman. He seemed from principle to endeavor to make himself a useful man in that county. He never spoke unless he had something to say, and he always left off when he had said it. He was perfectly contented with whatever disposition was made of him by his fellow citizens, and he wished to prosper, if at all, with them. Pos- sessed of an ample fortune for the time in which he lived, at an unfortunate moment he was induced to engage in manufacturing, and he shared the fate of many professional men who venture out of their sphere. The hurricane which swept over the manu- facturing business of New England involved him in pecuniary ruin, but his integrity was untarnished. and from the year 1828 to the time of his death he past a quiet life, going to his grave respected by all. His memory is yet green in the hearts of those who knew him, and his name is a household word of respect and reverence in the valley of the Black- stone. His simple epitaph is this: 'Mark the perfect man and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.'" Another writer said of him: "He is described as a man of peculiarly even temperament, who did not suffer prosperity or adversity to throw him from his balance. An upright Christian gentle- man, he did the duties that lay near him, usefully serving the community in whatever way his hand found to do. His attainments were a distinct con- tribution to the welfare of his neighborhood. His talents were honestly put to their best use, so that it could be said the world was better for his life. In 1837, a few years after the late Peter C. Bacon came to the bar, he died in Uxbridge, where his act- ive life had been spent." He died March 28, 1837, aged seventy-two years.

He married first (published December 19, 1793) January 19, 1794, Betsey Cragin, who was born in 1777, and died October 17, 1807, aged thirty-eight years, daughter of Samuel and Mercy (Chapin) Cragin, who were married September 23, 1769. Samuel Cragin, her father, was born November 5, 1739, the son of Benjamin and Experience ( Aldrich) Cragin, who were married June 13, 1727. Benjamin Cragin, her grandfather, was born November 27, 1702, the son of John and Deborah (Skelton) Cra- gin, who were married April 13, 1700. John Cragin was son of the immigrant ancestors, John and Sarah (Dawes) Cragin, who were married November 4, 1661.

Hon. Benjamin Adams married second, 1809, Susanna Richmont Grout, of Providence, and she died without issue, October 13, 1840, aged seventy- three years. Children of Benjamin and Betsey Adams: I. Fanny, born at Uxbridge, November 12, 1794-5; died March 0, 1797. 2. Josiah, born January 15, 1796; married, May 14, 1823, Harriet Dudley,

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who was born December 15. 1804, and died Novem- ber 10, 1886; he died in Uxbridge, March 14, 1828. 3. John, born March 31, 1798, mentioned below. 4. Samuel Cragin, born June 3, 1800; died March 21, 1828. 5. George, born February 25, 1801-2; died un- married, September 2, 1832, aged thirty ; will dated March 16, 1832. 6. Betsey, born May 20, 1804; died October 28, 1824. 7. Sally, born January 12, 1806; died June 8, 1824.

( VII) John Adams, son of Hon. Benjamin Adams (6), was born in Uxbridge, Massachusetts, March 31, 1798, in the house now occupied by Horace Gunn. He was a prominent citizen of his native town. He married Fanny A. Cragin, dangh- ter of Benjamin and Azubah Cragin, who was born in Douglass, Massachusetts, March 9, 1801, and died December 13, 1878, aged nearly seventy-eight years. He died at Uxbridge, September 20, 1878, aged over eighty years. They had two children, both born at Uxbridge: 1. George, born March 4, 1819; men- tioned below. 2. Charles C., born 1823; died at Savannah, Georgia, June 25, 1837, aged fourteen years.

(VIII) George Adams, son of John Adams (7). was born in Uxbridge, March 4, 1819; married, May, 1841, Angeline Nelson Day, daughter of Joseph and Abby (Taft) Day, of Uxbridge. She was born March 15, 1824. He was an artist of note. He set- tled finally in the south, and engaged in the cultiva- tion of the mulberry and silkworms. He died Feb- ruary 15, 1885. Their children: 1. Helen Capron, born at Uxbridge, March 28, 1843; mentioned below. 2. Charles Day, born July 28, 1850; mentioned below.

(1X) Helen Capron Adams, daughter of George Adams (8), was born in Uxbridge March 28, 1843. She was educated in the private schools, high schools, Uxbridge Academy and Lasell Seminary, Auburn- dale, Massachusetts Academy and Lasell Seminary, Auburndale, Massachusetts. She married, July 14. 1869, James Ira Hanson, son of Joel and Martha (Swan) Hanson.

(1X) Charles Day Adams, son of George Adams (8), was born at Uxbridge, July 28, 1850. He was educated in the public schools and at Harvard Col- lege, where he was graduated in 1873. After study- ing in various law offices he was admitted to the bar in 1875, and lated admitted to practice in the United States district courts. When he began he had no specialties, but conducted a general practice. Grad- ually his business has become that of managing trust estates, real estate investments, probate practice and conveyancing. He has offices in Boston. In his own city ( Woburn) he has held many municipal offices. He has been for many years a member of the school board, and is now its secretary. He is the city solicitor and special justice of the district court. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of Mt. Horeb Lodge Free and Accepted Masons, of Woburn. He married, August 3, 1881, Sarah Jane Kelley. Their children, born at Woburn, are : I. Raymond Marston, born December 24, 1882. 2. Helen Day, born April 25, 1884; died September . 22, 1888.

The McCOLLEY FAMILY of Winchendon is of the ancient Scotch family or rather clan Mac- Aulay of Dumbartonshire, Scotland. This clan belonged to the race of MecAlpin, of Ross-shire and Argyleshire, a surname held by a branch of the Ross-shire or native Gael, and supposed to have been adopted from the Albanich, the first known in- habitants of Scotland. The general denomination, Siol or Cinel, (race of) Alpin included several .clans, descendants of the race to which Kenneth McAlpin, under whom the Scots and Picts were

united, belonged, namely, the clan Gregor, the clan Grant, the Mackinnons, the MacNabs, the Mac- Duffies or McFies, the MacQuarries and the Mac- Aulays.

The original meaning of the Gaelic name Mac- auley is Mac Aulaidh, the son of Olave. The branch of the MacAulay family in the Scotch counties of Donegal and Antrim, in Ireland, dates from 1610, when the Scotch immigration to Ireland began. In the county Donegal Alexander MacAulay of Dur- lin, Dumbartonshire, Scotland, received a grant of a thousand acres of the escheated land from King James. This grant was in the parish of Portlough (part of the barony of Raphoe), and the total grants in the county amounted to 12,000 acres. Macauley was not prompt in taking possession as appears from a report of a royal commission a few years later. In 1619, however, he and probably a son were in possession and the government report shows a stone house there with a "bawn" two free- holders, nine lessecs, and able to produce thirty men with arms.

In the county of Tyrone the name of John Mac- Auley appears in 1619 under the list of men on the estate of Sir George Hamilton in the parish of Strabane, county of Tyrone. He was doubtless a yeoman, tenant of the Hamiltons. This settlement consisted of a stone barn and a village of ten houses and water mill near. John was one of thirty men able to bear arms. Before leaving the Scotch family of MacAnlay it is proper to mention that the great author, Lord Macaulay, was of this family. Rev. Dr. Clay McCauley, the noted Scotch Uni- tarian of Boston, is another. The latter is at present the head of the Senshin Sacknin or school of ad- vanced learning belonging to this church in Japan. The name is common in the two Scotch counties mentioned. In 1890 there were ninety children of this surname born in the counties of Donegal and Antrim, while there were only seventeen in all the remainder of Ireland.

(1) James McColley, the first of the MacAulay "family in New Hampshire, immigrant ancestor of the McColley family of Winchendon, Massachu- setts, was probably of the Antrim branch, men- tioned above. He came to the Scotch-Irish settle- ment of Londonderry, New Hampshire, and re- moved to Hillsborough, an adjacent town, where he was the first settler. His brother, Alexander Mc- Colley, who came from Ireland with him, set- tled for a time in Hillsborough also, but later was in Antrim. It is significant that the McColleys lived in Dumbarton, New Hampshire, named for their foriner home in Scotland several generations before, and in Antrim, New Hampshire, named for their Irish town, where James and Alexander were prob- ably born. The history of Antrim calls them "gen- uine Scotchmen," although three or four generations removed from the Macauley of Dumbarton.

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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. III, Part 53

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed Publication date: 1907 Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company Number of Pages: 772

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, ed
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: New York, Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 772