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 8
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111
26
WORCESTER COUNTY
ary 6. 1794. When a young boy he removed with his father's family to Canton, New York. After his marriage he settled in Northampton, and died there June 2, 1836. He was a prosperous farmer and a citizen of prominence. He married, Novem- ber 7. 1817, Pamelia Edwards, born in Northamp- ton, February 12. 1797, died about 1836. Children of Richard and Pamelia Nash: I. Mary, born No- vember 12, ISI8; married Joseph H. Butler of Man- chester. 2. William Shepard, born August 12, 1820, resided at Hartford, Connecticut. 3. Julia Philips, born August 26, 1822; married Miles Waterhouse, of Winchester, New Hampshire. 4. Richard Ed- wards, born December 7, 1824; died September 21, 1825. 5. Richard Edwards, mentioned below. 6. Charles Wallace, born May 1, 1829, settled at New Hartford, Connecticut. 7. Amelia, born April 7, 1831. 8. Sarah, born February 28, 1833. 9. Henry Bannister, born February 5, 1835.
(VII) Richard Edwards Nash, son of Richard Nash (6), born in Northampton, Massachusetts, May 26, 1826, died in Webster, Massachusetts, Feb- ruary 23, 1880. He was educated in the common schools and learned the woolen manufacturing busi- ness in all its branches. He lived at Southbridge and for twenty years he had charge of the finishing department at Webster, of the Slater Mill, one of the largest in that section of the state. He was a Republican in politics, and took an active part in town affairs and held various positions of trust and honor. He married Lorena Pitsinger, of West- hampton, Massachusetts. Their first born died in infancy. A son, Clarence M. Nash, is mentioned below; a daughter, Ann F. Nash, died December, 1884, in Webster; she married Lowell C. Davis, of Webster, by whom she had a daughter, Marion L. Davis. Mrs. Nash resides in Webster.
(VIII) Clarence Monroe Nashi, only son of Richard Edward Nash (7), was born in Webster, Massachusetts, August 2, 1866. He was educated , in the public schools and graduated from the Web- ster high school, class of 1883. He then entered the employ of the Slater Company as clerk in the office. In 1886 he accepted the position of assistant cashier of the Webster National Bank, a position that he filled until 1900, when he was chosen cashier. Mr. Nash enjoys the confidence and esteem of the business world, and has a reputation for excellent judgment as a banker. He was for seven years audi-' tor of the town of Webster and since treasurer of the Webster Co-operative Bank. Mr. Nash is one of the leading Republicans of the town. He is a member and treasurer of Ben Franklin Council, . Royal Arcanum. He is a member of the First Bap- tist Church, of which he was organist for twenty- two years; has been clerk since 18SS, and is super- intendent of its Sunday school. He married, 1892, Maude Nichols, of Dudley, Massachusetts. Their children are: 1. Dorothy, born November 1, 1897. 2. Jeanette, born December 22, 1900.
JOHN P. COGHLIN, son of James Joseph Coghlin, was born in Milford, Massachusetts, Oc- tober 5, 1869. He was educated in the public schools of Milford, and at the high school at Southboro, where he graduated in 1888. He then took a special course at Worcester Academy to prepare for college and in 1889 entered the Worcester Poly- technic Institute. He was graduated.in 1893. taking the degree of S. B .. He was given the degree of E. E. (Electrical Engineer) by his Alma Mater in 1905.
Immediately after graduation he formed the Columbia Electric Company for the manufacture of dynamos and motors and to install electric plants.
Its shop was at 180 Union street. Later the com- pany opened an office in the Burnside biulding. In 1897 he sold his interests in the Columbia Electric Company and soon afterward organized the Central Electric Company with headquarters at 311 Main street, dealing in electric appliances and apparatus of all kinds, and installing electric plants. Later he bought the Page Electric Company, which was established on Pearl street in 1885. He consoli- dated the two companies and incorporated the com- bined business under the laws of Massachusetts in the same year. He also removed from 28 Pearl street, where the Page Electric Company was located, to 24 and 26 Pearl street to secure larger quarters. The Page Electric Company is the best known and largest electrical concern in Worcester. Mr. Coghlin is the chief owner of the business. He is president, treasurer and secretary of the cor- poration. His brother, Peter A. Coghlin, is a director and superintendent of the business. Another brother, E. F. Coghlin, is the third director of the corporation. The character of the work done by Mr. Coghlin's company, and the extent and variety of it can be told best by describing a few of his. larger contracts. Among the electric light and power plants installed is that at the purification plant of the Worcester sewerage plant at Outfall avenue; the dynamo and lighting plant at the shoe factory of Isaac Prouty, Spencer, Massachusetts ; the- electric plant at the Westboro Insane Asylum at Westboro; a magnificent equipment for the model factory buildings of the Royal Worcester Corset Company at Worcester; the equipment at the Stan- dard Plunger Elevator Company in Worcester, where each machine, according to the latest methods,. is furnished with its individual motor, giving thus. the maximum speed to all machines as required, effecting an economy in power and increasing the product substantially; the electric lighting outfit of the Oread Institute ; that of the Simplex Piano fac- tory recently built on Blackstone street. Worcester.
The Page Electric Company had the contract for the electrical wiring, fixtures and equipment of the C. C. Houghton block on Front street; of the federal or post office building. Main street, Wor- cester ; Union Congregational Church, Worcester ; St. John's Church, Worcester: St. Joseph's Church, Leicester; St. Vincent's Hospital, Worcester; the Worcester City Hospital new buildings; the Well- ington Hotel, North Adams; the East Side high school, the West Side high school and the Broad Street high school in Providence; the new high school building in Gardner, Massachusetts; the Nel- son Theatre in Springfield, Massachusetts ; the Wor- cester Insane Asylum, Summer street : the Grafton Colony for the Insane at North Grafton, recently built : Poli's Theatre, formerly the Crompton block, Front and Mechanic streets, Worcester; the new Thule building, built by the Swedish people, Main street, Worcester : the New Alumni building at the. College of the Holy Cross; the Casto Theatre at Fall River; the residence of Matthew J. Whittall. the mill owner, at South Worcester : the residence of Mrs. F. P. Knowles, Elm street; the new residence of Austin P. Cristy, publisher of the Worcester Telegram, on Salisbury street; the residence of Mrs. Frank P. Goulding, Harvard street ; the residence of C. A. Hill, Queen street : the residence of Hon. Joseph H. Walker, Ripley street.
Perhaps the largest contract of the kind ever handled in Worcester was the electrical equipment of the Worcester and Southbridge Street Railroad. Mr. Coghlin was both electrical and mechanical engineer for this work. His company installed all the electrical apparatus and wiring, including over-
--
BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRA 1
Labu Roghlin-
27
WORCESTER COUNTY
head and job work. At the time it was built in 1891-2 this road was as finely equipped electrically as any in the country. It was the first high speed road in this section of the country and only two others have been completed since. These two are the very successful Boston & Worcester road and the Narragansett Pier road from Providence. It was the first high voltage system put into use. The voltage used is developed at 11,000 volts and reduced down to the ordinary voltage by the use of rotary transformers. The power plant was built with the view of furnishing power for two hundred miles of electric roads. Mr. Coghlin's thesis at the time of the completion of his graduate work at the Wor- cester Polytechnic Institute was based on the ex- perience gained in the construction of this fine piece of electric road. He considered the commer- cial engineering point of view in work of this kind.
One of the largest and perhaps the most unique jobs of the company was at Niagra Falls where Mr. Coghlin was given carte blanche by Mr. Perky in building and equipping the plant of the Shredded Wheat concern there. The power. as is well known, is supplied there in the form of electrical energy, at a voltage of 2200 and is transformed to different potentials according to the requirements of the case. The electrical machinery and work there cost about $200.000. Mr. Coghlin was the electrical engineer and his company had the contract for the work. Some 12,000 kilo-watts or about 18,000 horse-power are utilized in the manufacture of shredded wheat and triscuit. Each machine has its own direct con- nected motor for which the electricity is transformed to 440 volts. A rotary transformer supplies a direct current at 220 volts for the elevators, and other transformers provides the usual 110 volts for the the 3,000 incandescent lamps in use. The triscuit and other products of the company are baked in electric ovens which are so arranged that when in operation the baked product is being rolled out by the cooking machine completely baked and ready for the market without any handling during the cooking. A test of the accuracy and excellence of the electrical work may be had by a sight of one row of 150 drop lights where every tip is seen to be in alignment. The office building was wired with the wires inside iron conduits.
The company has a right to be proud of the con- tract at the Saco & Pettee mills at Biddeford, Maine. This concern employs 2,000 hands and it was provided that the plant should have electrical power put in without interfering with the operation of the mills. Two four hundred kilo-watt steam turbine generators were installed in place of three power plants from which power was wastefully transmitted by means of ropes and belts from shaft to shaft. The lighting system was also changed from direct to alternating system. In this job the separate departments each had their own motors. The motors were not applied to each machine, but to each room or building as the case might be. Some fifty motors were installed in these mills. A similar alteration in the power was made at the mills of M. J. Whittall at South Worcester. One big electric generating plant was put in to supply electricity to the motors in the various mills and rooms of the many buildings of the Worcester carpet mills. the Edgworth mills and the Whittall mills. all now under the control and ownership of Mr. Whittall. The new equipment displaced several steam power plants at the various mills. The new plant also supplies electricity for 3,000 incandescent lamps. During the past three years the Page Elec- tric Company has had a wholesale department, hav- ing men on the road selling their goods to the mills,
factories, contractors, electric lighting and street railways plants.
Mr. Coghlin is a member of the Commonwealth Club, Worcester Continentals. the American Insti- tuite of Electrical Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. He is the president of the Worcester Alumni of the Worcester Polytech- nic Institute and president of the Worcester Auto- mobile Club. He is third vice-president of the Natoinal Electrical Contractors' Association.
He married, July 28, 1896, Josephine A. Callahan, of Worcester. Their children are: John, born in Worcester, May 4, 1897; Caroline, January 2, 1901 ; Edwin, October 19, 1902. Mr. Coghlin resides at 25 Richards street. Worcester.
ALGER FAMILY. The name Alger was spelled in colonial days in various ways : Aulgar, Augur, Auger, Agur, Ager, Eager, Ager. As these same spellings are found for the surname Hagar it is somewhat difficult to distinguish the families in the early records. The Bridgewater family of Alger, from which the Winchendon family is de- scended, wrote the name Alger at an early date but Mitchell says that the pronunciation was Auger.
The earliest Alger immigrants were Arthur and. Andrew Alger, of Scarboro, Maine, about 1640. Both were killed by the Indians in King Philip's war in 1675. Sampson Augur, another early immi- grant, lived in Old York (Maine) and there were a number of others spelling their names similarly and perhaps of the same families, all probably from old England.
(I) Thomas Alger, the immigrant ancestor of C. C. Alger, of Winchendon, Massachusetts, was born in England. The first record in America re- lating to Thomas Alger is found in Watertown. It shows that he settled first in Roxbury and then came to Watertown and bought three-quarters of an acre of land with a fulling mill thereon, May 30, 1663, of Timothy Hawkins. He was evidently dissatisfied with Watertown, for he sold the mill and land December 18, 1663, to Thomas Lovering,. late of Dedham, Essex county, England. Alger was a fuller by trade, as stated in the deed and shown by the nature of the property sold. Lovering was. called a cloth-worker in the deed. Alger removed next to Taunton, where he stayed for a short time, and then settled in Bridgewater, where his de- scendants have lived to the present time. He mar- ried, in 1665, at Bridgewater, Elizabeth Packard, daughter of Samuel Packard. Their children were: Israel, see forward; Deliverance, and probably others.
(II) Israel Alger, son of Thomas Alger (1), was born about 1667, at Bridgewater, Massachu- setts. He married Patience Hayward, daughter of Nathaniel Hayward. They settled in Bridgewater, where their children were born, viz .: Israel, see forward; Joseph, born 1694; Thomas, born 1697; Nathaniel, born 1700, removed to Easton and was living there 1727 and 1728; John, born 1704, died 1730.
(III) Israel Alger, eldest child of Israel Alger (2), was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in 1689. He was the executor of his father's estate. He settled in Bridgewater. He married (first) Alice Hayward, daughter of Joseph Hayward. He married (second) Susannah Snow, daughter of William Snow, in 1717. He married (third) Rachel Wade, daughter of Thomas Wade. The only child of Israel and Alice Alger was: Patience, whose name was changed to Alice after her mother died; she was baptized Alice, 1727; she married, in 1732, Shepard Fiske. The children of Israel and Susanna
28
WORCESTER COUNTY
Alger were: Israel, baptized during boyhood, 1727; Daniel, baptized 1727, probably the year of birth, see forward; James, born 1729.
(IV) Daniel Alger, son of Israel Alger (3), was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, 1727, and set- tled in his native town. He was a soldier in the revolution in Captain Nathan Alden's company, Colonel Jeremialı Hall's regiment, and in Captain Nathan Packard's company, Colonel J. Jacobs' regi- ment, in 1780. On both occasions he served in Rhode Island campaigns. He married Susannah Fobes, daughter of Benjamin Fobes. Their chil- dren, all born in Bridgewater, were: Daniel, born 1751; Susannah, born 1753, married Mark Packard; Israel, born 1755; Keziah, born 1757, married John Dickerman, 1786; Benjamin, born 1760, married Hannah Snow, daughter of Daniel Snow, 1785, and settled in Boston, Massachusetts; Chloe (twin), born 1761, married Tisdale Howard, 1791; Sylvia (twin), born 1761, married Colonel Caleb Howard, 1788; Nathan, born 1763; Martha, born 1766; David, removed to Winchendon, Massachusetts, with his brother Abiel; married, 1790, Sarah Lathrop, daugh- ter of Jonathan Lathrop: Abiel, see forward.
(V) Lieutenant Abiel Alger, son of Daniel Alger (4), was born in Bridgewater, June 22, 1772. He removed to Winchendon in 1793-94, and resided there until 1814, when he removed to Marlboro, New Hampshire. Late in life he returned to Win- chendon, and died there January 24, 1858. He was a gentleman of the old school, intelligent, self-edu- cated and conversant on all topics of his time. It was always a delight to listen to his narration of incidents that came under his personal knowledge, his recollections of the revolution and the early days of the Republic, of pioneer life in Winchendon and Marlboro, New Hampshire, in which there was much that appealed to him. He was a noted bear and fox hunter. The Marlboro history tells of his prowess. He paid for his first yoke of oxen with the fifty dollars he received from fox skins.
He married, 1789, Rhoda Drake, daughter of Richard Drake, Richard,3 Benjamin,2 Thomas, 1 who was born at Easton, February 26, 1770. She died January 20, 1860, at an advanced age. Their children were: 1. Olive, born October 9, 1789, mar- ried, April 19 1812 Jonathan Wyman. 2. Lavina, born April 1, 1791, died October 23, 1866, married, December, 1825, Alpheus Flagg; (second), July, 1845, Solomon Tenney. 3. Abiel, Jr., born March 19, 1793, in Bridgewater; he was a soldier in the war of 1812; died in Vermont, April, 1813. 4. Chloe, born November 11, 1794, at Winchendon, married, May 9, 1826, Luke Rice; died December 4, 1873. 5. Sylvia, born July 30, 1796, at Winchen- don, died there November 26, 1873, unmarried. 6. Asnah, born at Winchendon, May 18, 1798, married, February, 1828, Sally Norcross; married (second), August 7, 1860, Mrs. Mary T. Moore; resided at Orange, Massachusetts; died May 5, 1880. 7. Ada, born in Winchendon, July 29, 1800, married, Octo- ber, 1821, Ezra Porter, resided in Winchendon, died August, 1891. 8. Nathan, born in Winchendon, January 27, 1802, married Louisa Hale. 9. Melona, born in Winchendon, October 29, 1804, married, May, 1829, Silas S. Norcross, and lived in Win- chendon. 10. Christopher Columbus, born in Win- chendon, June, 1807, died October 4, 1881, see for- ward. 11. Rhoda, born in Winchendon, January 17, 1811, married, July, 1834, Joel Sibley ; she mar- ried (second), July, 1864, William Sibley; resided in Winchendon, died December, 1889. 12. Horace, born in Marlboro, New Hampshire, November 17, 1817, married (second), 1842, Betsey Smith; he was in the Tenth Cavalry and died in United States
Hospital, Covington, Kentucky, in the service, April 6, 1864.
(VI) Christopher Columbus Alger, son of Abiel Alger (5), was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts, June 17, 1807. He made his home in Winchendon. He was a man of strong personality, good judgment, thrifty and industrious, and a prominent man of the town. His farm is owned at present by his only son. He married, March 29, 1836, Sabrina Bal- com, daughter of Gideon Balcom, whose ancestry was: Daniel (IV), John (III), Joseph (II), Henry (1). She was a lady of refinement and education. Together they accumulated a considerable estate. Their children, all born in Winchendon, were: I. Christopher C., Jr., born July 14. 1837, see for- ward. 2. Amelia V., born May 17, 1839, married, February 15, 1870, Calvin Miller, and resides at No. 32 Westland street, Worcester; they have two sons, Morton Melvin Miller, born February 10, 1873, and Allan Balcom Miller, born January 28, 1883. 3. Isabella J., born June 27, 1852, resides in Worcester. (VII) C. C. Alger, son of Christopher C. Alger (6), was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts, July 14, 1837. He was brought up on the home farm, entering into the various duties and pleasures inci- dent to the home and farm life. Educated in the district school, which at that time gave the student a broader education than the term district school at present implies, he was well grounded in English, higher mathematics and science. After being away from home one or two years he consented to gratify his parents in their oft-repeated request for him to come home to live. He bought the homestead and has carried it on since that time, December 7, 1865. He has taken great interest and expended muclı thought and money in developing the farm as well as the beautiful pleasure grounds at Lake Denison, until he has now one of the finest country estates in Worcester county.
In politics he is a stanch Republican, always having voted with that party, casting his first presi- dential vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. He and his wife are both members of the Winchendon Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and are especially active in the literary entertainments. He and his family are associated with the old First Congre- gational Church, at the centre of the town. He has always been a helper in every good work for the upbuilding of society and the promotion of good morals and good government.
Not only in the Alger line, but in twenty-four other lines of ancestry that have been traced his ancestors have been substantial people in England and America. His immigrant ancestors were found in both Plymouth and Massachusetts Bay colonies, sturdy Puritans and Pilgrims who have transmitted to posterity the spirit of civil and religious liberty. Three of Mr. Alger's four great-grandfathers were soldiers in the revolution.
Mr. Alger married, September 22, 1874, Ella Laura May, of Winchendon, daughter of Daniel May and a descendant of another old New England family.
SYLVESTER FAMILY. John Sylvester (1) was the immigrant ancestor of Thomas Henry Sylvester, of Worcester. The name is of French origin, though most of the American families of this name can trace their descent to English progenitors. The word Silvestre, meaning tree, is the origin of the name, and the coat of arms is a parlant or speaking one, viz .: Containing a tree. The arms : Ar. an oak tree eradicated, vert. Crest: A lion's head erased, vert. The English family settled in England not long after the Norman conquest, the
29.
WORCESTER COUNTY
ancestor probably going over from France with William the Conqueror. Many distinguished men of the name have been produced in the English fam- ily, which is very numerous. In New England the first settler of the name was Richard Sylvester, of Weymouth, in 1633, and of Scituate in 1642; mar- ried Naomi Torrey, 1663; his descendants are numerous in Hingham; many lived in Leicester, Massachusetts, and most of the Massachusetts and American families trace their lines back to him.
John Sylvester was probably born in England, possibly France, if the family tradition is reliable. He must have been born about 1750, perhaps a few years later. Ile was a soldier in an Essex county regiment for nine months, mustered by Henry Rutgers, Jr., deputy muster master. This revolu- tionary service may indicate that lie was French, rather than British, although many men born in England fought on the American side. He married, July 30, 1789, in Boston, and had one son, John Gardner, see forward.
(Il) John Gardner Sylvester, son of John Syl- vester (I), was born in Massachusetts, about 1790. He had a superb education and was said to speak seven languages. He was a gifted musician and artist. In Boston he achieved a reputation for his wonderful skill in drumming. He was a very prom- inent Free Mason, and in his day was the only thirty-third degree Mason in the country. In later life hie removed to New Orleans and was taken sick there. On account of the kindness of liis Masonic brethren in attending him when sick he left a large sum of money to the New Orleans Ma- sonic order. He married Rachel Penniman and they had seven sons. Among them were: Artemias, see forward; John, Ingenious.
(III) Artemas Sylvester. son of John Gardner Sylvester (2), was born in Boston, about 1815. He received an excellent education in the public schools. He went to sea and was a mariner for a number of years. He sailed to all quarters of the globe and visited all the principal ports. He rose to the rank of first mate. Several years before the civil war he entered the government service and was in charge of the ordnance department during and after the war. Later he went to California with his brother Ingenious, who was a "Forty-Niner," and both be- came interested in gold mining. Mr. Sylvester re- turned to Boston in about three years. He lived during his last years at the home of his daughter in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and died there. He was a Unitarian in religion and a Republican in politics. He married Harriet Harris, born in England. Their children were: Thomas Henry, born August 3, 1843, see forward; Artemas. Susan Jane, Amelia Winslow, Joseph Franklin, Jane.
(IV) Thomas Henry Sylvester, son of Artemas Sylvester (3), was born in Charlestown, Massachu- setts, now Boston, August 3, 1843. He was edu- cated there in the common schools. At the age of fourteen he went to work as clerk for J. B. Rand & Company, hatters and furriers, remaining until 1861, when he enlisted in Company H, Twenty- ninth regiment, Massachusetts Volunteer Militia, serving in the Army of the Potomac in the Penin- sular campaign. He took part in many skirmishes and battles, including Yorktown and Williamsburg, Manassas to Seven Pines. He was in the battle of South Mountain and of Antietam, where he received a shell wound, which caused paralysis. He was taken to a hospital in Washington and later to a Boston hospital. When he recovered sufficiently he went to work again for J. B. Rand & Company, and after some years accepted a similar position in
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.