Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 50

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 912

USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume IV > Part 50

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Mr. Adams was educated at Brown Univer- sity, 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. Af- ter he was admitted to the bar Mr. Adams practiced one year at Hopkinton, Massachu- setts, and upon the death of Mr. Tyler suc- ceeded to his office and his. business in the town of Uxbridge. He was too young to en- ter 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 fath- er's place while the women of the family made the hay. Possessed of good ability and steady purpose to make the most of his opportuni- ties, he acquired a substantial practice and what was better the confidence of his towns- men. 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 sen- sational service. He was re-elected from term to term, and served faithfully and ably until 1823. Two interesting letters written by him from Washington to his wife have been pre- served 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 import- ant 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 con-

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sisted 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 ex- tended 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 gilt 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 be- fore, January 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 sun- set 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 the table, the President about the mid- dle way between them. Upon the table was roast turkey 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 po- litical news he refers his wife to the newspa- pers. The fascination of Dolly Madison is made evident; she was the important 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 Rus- sell by reason of a speech of Mr. Adams in favor of a protective tariff for American man- ufacturers, Daniel Webster and the commer-

cial interests of Boston having taken the field against him on account of his sentiments in favor of protecting American industry. "How strange," wrote Judge Henry Chapin in his famous Uxbridge address, "that forty years ago a man should have been sacrificed politi- cally on account of views and opinions which time seems to have taken pleasure in demon- strating was the true policy for New England. It reminds us of one of the splendid old hymns upon the martyrs:

Flung to the hedless 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 honest lawyer and a christian gentleman. He seemed from principle to en- deavor 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 prefectly contented with whatever disposition was made of him by his fellow citizens, and he wished to prosper, if at all, with them. Possessed of an ample fortune for the time in which he lived, at an unfortunate moment he was induced to en- gage in manufacturing, and he shared the fate of many professional men who venture out of their sphere. The hurricane which swept over the manufacturing 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 passed a quiet life, going to his grave re- spected 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 rev- erence in the valley of the Blackstone. 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 gentleman, he did the duties that lay near him, usefully serving the com- munity in whatever way his hand found to do. His attainments were a distinct contribution to the welfare of his neighborhood. His tal- ents 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 active life had been

Charlie Day

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spent." He died March 28, 1837, aged seven- ty-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 mar- ried September 23, 1769. Samuel Cragin, her father, was born November 5, 1739, the son of Benjamin and Experience (Aldrich) Cra- gin, who were married June 13, 1727. Benja- min Cragin, her grandfather, was born No- vember 27, 1702, the son of John and Debor- ah (Skelton) Cragin, who were married April 13, 1700. John Cragin was son of the immi- grant ancestors, John and Sarah (Dawes) Cragin, who were married November 4, 1661.

Hon. Benjamin Adams married (second), 1809, Susannah Richmont Grout, of Provi- dence, and she died without issue, October 13, 1840, aged seventy-three years. Children of Benjamin and Betsey Adams: I. Fanny, bon at Uxbridge, November 12, 1794-95, died March 9, 1797. 2. Josiah, born January 15, 1796, married, May 14, 1823, Harriet Dudley, who was born December 15, 1804, and died November 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, 1801-02, 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, Massa- chusetts, March 31, 1798, in the house now occupied by Horace Gunn. He was a promi- nent citizen of his native town. He married Fanny A. Cragin, daughter of Benjamin and Azubah Cragin, who was born in Douglass, Massachusetts, March 9, 1801, and died De- cember 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: I. George, 2. born March 4, 1819, mentioned below. 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 settled finally in the south, and engaged in the cultivation of the mulberry and silk worms. He died Feb- iv-24

ruary 15, 1885. Their children: I. Helen Capron, born at Uxbridge, March 28, 1843, mentioned below. 2. Charles Day, born July 28, 1850, mentioned below.

(IX) Helen Capron Adams, daughter of George Adams (8), was born in Uxbridge, March 28, 1843. She was educated in the pri- vate schools, high schools, Uxbridge Academy and Lasell Seminary, Auburndale, Massachu- setts. She married, July 14, 1869, James Ira Hanson, son of Joel and Martha (Swan) Han- son.

(IX) 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 College, where he was grad- uated in 1873. After studying in various law offices he was admitted to the bar in 1875, and later admitted to practice in the United States district courts. When he began he had no specialties, but conducted a general . prac- tice. Gradually his business has become that of managing trust estates, real estate invest- ments, probate practice and conveyancing. He has offices in Boston. In his own city (Wo- burn) he has held many municipal offices. He has been for many years a member of the school board, and was its secretary. He has been 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 mar- ried, 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.

Kelley, or Kelly, is a family in Ireland and in county Devon, England, and a family of the latter spelling has been settled in that shire from a remote period. The name is said to be derived from Kelley, or Kelly, a knight living in the time of Richard I.

(I) James Kelley, of Exeter, New Hamp -. shire, born April 15, 1708, died April 16, 1790, married Deborah Stiles, born March 12, 1706, died November 20, 1788, daughter of Wil- liam and Deborah Stiles, of Dover, New Hampshire. James Kelley came to America from Ireland when he was twenty years of age, and settled at Exeter, New Hampshire. He was a tanner and currier, and at one time held the office of deputy sheriff. He pros- pered in business, and a portion of the real estate which he acquired is now in the pos- session of some of his descendants. Children: 1. John, born April 13. 1731, married (first) Abigail Leighton, and (second) Phebe Trefe-

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then. 2. James, born December 1, 1733, see forward. 3. William, born April 23, 1736, married Louise -. 4. Samuel, born No- vember 8, 1738, married Olive Leighton. 5. Moses, born February 13, 1740-I. 6. Aaron, born October II, 1743. 7. Ebenezer, born March 14, 1746, married (first) Teb- betts, married (second) Cloutman,

married (third) Hall.

(II) James Kelley, son of James Kelley (I), born at Exeter, New Hampshire, December I, 1733; married (first) Esther Folsom, and (second) Ann Kenniston. Mr. Kelley resided in Exeter, Stratham and Danville, Vermont. During the revolutionary war he served en- listments in New Hampshire regiments. Chil- dren by first wife: I. Catharine, born Febru- ary 18, 1762, died January 5, 1845. 2. Daniel born June 29, 1767. 3. Addi, born March 6, 1769, died at Fowler, New York, January 13, 1849; married (first), May 3, 1794, Sally Hart- ford, who died at Ryegate, Vermont, June 21, 1798; and (second), February 3, 1799, Letty Ervin, who died October 10, 1838; and mar- ried (third) Nancy Fowler. 4. Levi, born October 23, 1770, died about 1820; married Sarah Snell. 5. Joseph, born September 14, 1771; married Mehitable Thurston. 6. Ben- jamin, born September 14, 1772; see forward. 7. Esther, born November 12, 1774; married John Blaisdell, resided at Meredith, New Hampshire. 8. George Washington, born January 18, 1776; removed to Danville, Ver- mont.

(III) Benjamin Kelley, son of James Kel- ley (2), born in New Hampshire, September 14, 1772, died 1839; married Betsey Chase, born September 16, 1775, died July 3, 1832, Children: I. Eunice, born October 3, 1794. died September, 1832; married (first) John Daniels; married (second) Thomas Land. 2. Elizabeth born September 12, 1796; married John Smith. 3. Caroline, born January 28, 1798, married Benjamin Adlington. 4. Dav- id, born July 4, 1800; died unmarried, Feb- ruary, 1838. 5. James, born February 21, 180 -. died 1805. 6. Benjamin, born July 9, 1805; married Sarah M. Felch; resided at Exeter, New Hempshire. 7. John, born Au- gust 21, 1807. 8. George Plummer, born March 20, 1810; married Martha Speed, of Newmarket, New Hampshire. 9. Joseph, born April 21, 1814, see forward. 10. Sarah, born October 23, 1816; married Zebulon Thurston. II. Charles, born October 23, 1816; married (first) Laura Miles; married (second) Mary Jane Shepard. 12. Almira,

born March 12, 1818, married Henry Robin- son.

(IV) Joseph Kelley, son of Benjamin Kel- ley (3), born at Exeter, New Hampshire, April 21, 1814, died at Woburn, Massachu- setts, June II, 1893, aged seventy-nine years ; married (first), May 5, 1842, Mary Ann Shaw, born at North Hampton, New Hampshire, July 29, 1818, died at Woburn, Massachu- setts, December 27, 1850, aged thirty-two years and five months, daughter of John Drew and Sarah (Lovering) Shaw; married (sec- ond) August 17, 1851, Sarah Pike Marston, born at North Hampton, New Hampshire, June 19, 1823, died at Woburn, Massachu- setts, July 13, 1889, aged sixty-six years, daughter of Jeremiah and Abigail (Marston) Marston.

Mr. Kelley was one of a large family of children, and at ten years of age was appren- ticed to Major Pierson, a prominent leather manufacturer of Exeter, New Hampshire, and remained with him until he had reached his twenty-first year, having learned the trade in every detail under an able master. In April, 1835, he removed to Malden, Massachusetts, to try his fortune, but finding in that town no opportunity to practice his trade to the ex- tent he expected, he removed in June, 1835, to Woburn, where he permanently settled, and where at the time of his death he had been a resident for nearly sixty years, and before his retirement from business a mem- ber of one of its leading manufacturing con- cerns. His first employment in Woburn was in the currying shop of Deacon John Cum- mings, in the village of Cummingsville. At this time he was married, and the young peo- ple resided first in the house then belonging to Mr. John Johnson. Afterwards, when Mr. Kelley was employed at North Woburn, he resided in the old Daniel Richardson house on Main street, opposite the entrance of pres- ent Mishawum road. At North Woburn he was in the employ of Moses Cummings, a well-known tanner and currier of the old school, and at the death of Mr. Cummings in 1840 and the settlement of his estate, a new firm was organized in 1842, under the name of J. B. Winn & Company, consisting of Jon- athan B. Winn, Ebenezer N. Blake, Lewis Shaw, and Joseph Kelley. Mr. Kelley was the last survivor of that original firm once so intimately connected with Woburn's indus- trial history. Messrs. J. B. Winn & Com- pany operated several shops, one at Cum- mingsville, one at North Woburn, one on Sa-

JOSEPH KELLEY

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lem street, and one on Maine street (later known as Kenney & Murphy's shop), and Mr. Kelley took charge of the last named. At this time he purchased a house on Church street, of Charles Flagg, which stood on the spot now designated as No. 10 Church street, but this house was moved across the street to No. 13 Church street to make room for his newer and larger house, which he erected in 1854. In the meantime his first wife had died, and he was married for a second time. Sometime in the early eighteen seventies he withdrew from the firm of J. B. Winn & Company, and for the remainder of his life had no active busi- ness. The care of his real estate and rentals occupied his attention until the infirmities due to the disease which caused his death laid him aside from the active duties of life alto- gether.

Mr. Kelley's paternal and maternal ances- tors attained a great age, and he inherited from them a strong constitution and remark- able powers of endurance. His business abil- ity and keen sagacity led his fellow citizens to call him on various occasions to positions of trust. He served as a member of the board of selectmen and assessors in the years 1859 to 1862, and again in 1872, and his associates in office recalled him as a man of clear insight and quick decision. The main portion of his life was one of untiring industry, and his suc- cess in winning a competence for himself and his family may be traced directly to his habit of doing faithfully whatever he attempted. He was a man who spent little on himself, but his family lacked for nothing that money could buy and its comfort demanded. His marked characteristic was straightforwardness. No more honest man ever walked the streets of Woburn. His word was his bond. His busi- ness associates had implicit confidence in his strict integrity and keen judgment, a fact proven by the well remembered utterances of his old-time partners. He was a man of simple personal tastes, thoroughly unselfish, and a hater of shams. Educational advantages add- ed to his many natural talents would have placed him far beyond his fellows. What was his own-his home, his family, his native town-had for him a special charm. This trait found frequent expressions in his loyalty to the place of his birth, and its growth, its development, its people, its local paper-all had a warm place in his heart. To him the Exeter News Letter, to which he had been a continuous subscriber for many years, was the ne plus ultra of publications. Through all his long life of nearly fourscore years the

name of Exeter awoke in his heart feelings of love and keen interest. He was a Free Ma- son of high degree, and an active and influ- ential member of Mount Horeb Lodge, in Woburn, until age compelled his retirement. He was a familiar figure on the street. He was a good example of a selfmade man, be- ginning life as a poor boy, winning wealth, and honorable standing by honesty, industry and frugality.

Children by first wife: I. George Adel- bert, born March 3, 1843, died December 12, 1868; married at Woburn, June 15, 1864, Mary V. Perkins, children: Joseph Warren, born March 3, 1866, died in Woburn, No- vember 6, 1896, unmarried. 2. Charles Edgar, born April 17, 1848, died August 12, 1852. Children by second wife : 3. Sarah Jane, born October 30, 1852; married, August 3, 1881, Charles Day Adams, of Woburn, children: i. Raymond Marston Adams, born December 24, 1882; married, November 24, 1906, Rhys- pah Maude Andrews, of Marion, Massachu- setts. ii. Helen Day (Adams), born April 25, 1884, died September 22, 1888. 4. Charles Frank, born August 1, 1854; married, May 5, 1880, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Tewkesbury Saxton; she died January 27, 1889. 5. Abbie Marston, born January 27, 1858, died Sep- tember 1, 1858. 6. John Edward, born Au- gust 2, 1859, died same day. 7. Joseph Wal- ter, born May 27, 1860; married, May 17, 1893, Nellie Addie Jones, daughter of Charles S. and Nellie V. (Moore) Jones, of Woburn; children : i. Addie Maud, born December 15, 1893. ii. Joseph Earl, born May 15, 1896. 8. Clara Frances, born June 4, 1862, died Sep- tember 6, 1862. 9. Charlotte Mary, born December 5, 1863; married, August 7, 1886, William Chandler, of Woburn.

(For ancestry see Henry Adams I.)

(II) Captain Samuel Adams, ADAMS son of Henry Adams (1), was born in England in 1617. Mar- ried (first) Rebecca Graves, daughter of Thomas Graves. She died October 8, 1662- 63, and he married (second), May 7, 1668, Es- ther Sparhawk, daughter of Nathaniel Spar- hawk, of Cambridge. He removed from Braintree to Concord, Massachusetts, and thence to Chelmsford in 1653-54. He was commissioner of the general court to end small causes, appointed in 1667. He erected mills in the southeastern part of Chelmsford. He was the first miller of the town. On July 3, 1656, he was granted four hundred acres of

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land to encourage him to set up a saw-mill, and later he had one hundred acres more for erecting a corn-mill. These mills marked a new era in the building of houses, as well as the preparation of grains for food. It was on a commanding site just beyond the brook that the miller erected his dwelling. Seven genera -. tions occupied the farm, and presided at the mill, but it has now passed into other hands, as have homesteads of other branches of the family. He died January 24, 1688-89. He had a large family. Children: I. Sam- uel, born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, July 3, 1647, died young. 2. Rebecca, born in Concord, married John Waldo, son of Dea- con Cornelius Waldo. 3. Captain Thomas, born in Concord, 1651-52, married Mary Blackmer. 4. John, born in Chelmsford, October 29, 1657, died in Charlestown, De- cember 13, 1657. 5. Catherine (twin), born in Chelmsford, October 29, 1657, died young. 6. Catherine, born in Chelmsford, January 4, 1658-59, married John Rayner. 7. Susan- na, born in Chelmsford, married Daniel Wal- do. 8. Mary, born in Chelmsford, married December 16, 1686, Samuel Webb. 9. Na- thaniel, born in Chelmsford, February 28, 1662, died young. IO. Martha, born in Chelmsford, September 8, 1664. II. Na- thaniel, born in Chelmsford, September 8, 1664 (twin). The children, all born in Chelmsford, of Captain and Esther (Spar- hawk) Adams. 12. Samuel, born November 7, 1671. 13. Captain Joseph, born Novem- ber 27, 1672, mentioned below. 14. Benja- min, born May 22, 1679. 15. Esther, died young.

(III) Captain Joseph Adams, son of Cap- tain Samuel Adams (2), born in Chelmsford, Massachusetts, November 27, 1672; married Mary His will is dated January 20, 1717. He mentions wife Mary; sons Samuel, Joseph, Benjamin and Jonas; daughters Es- ther, Mary, Rebecca, Sybil and Hannah. He died January 22, 1717. His estate was divid- ed April 26, 1733. He was captain of the mili- tary company and a prominent citizen of Chelmsford. Children, born in Chelmsford: I. Samuel, born July 30, 1696, died Septem- ber 17, 1721. 2. Joseph, born July 8, 1698, mentioned below. 3. Benjamin called "Jun- ior" on account of his uncle Benjamin, born December 1, 1699. 4. Esther, born March IO, 1704. 5. Mary, born July 1, 1707. 6. Re- becca, born November 28, 1709, married, No- vember 6, 1735, Joseph Dutton, and settled in Westford. 7. Deacon Jonas, born Decem-

ber 6, 1712. 8. Sybil, born August 14, 1714. 9. Hannah, born September 17, 1716-17.

(IV) Joseph Adams, son of Captain Joseph Adams (3), was born in Chelmsford, July 8, 1698. Children, born at Chelmsford: I. Sa- rah, born October 5, 1723, married, March 22, 1743, John Adams, son of Timothy and Dor- othy (Chamberlain) Adams. 2. Joseph, born July 8, 1726, mentioned below. 3. Thankful, born November 13, 1729, married Deacon Aaron Chamberlain. . Samuel, born Sep- tember 5, 1735.

(V) Joseph Adams, son of Joseph Adams (4), born in Chelmsford, July 8, 1726, married, March 2, 1748, Lydia Fletcher, died July 18, 1799, in her seventy-sixth year. He died Sep- tember 17, 1796. His will is dated December 30, 1789, and was proved October II, 1796, be- queathing to wife Lydia, sons Joseph, William ; John, a son of daughter Lydia deceased; daughter Thankful, and a grandson Levi. Children, born in Chelmsford: I. Lydia, born December 12, 1748, married, February 1, 1781, John Adams, son of John and Esther (Perham) Adams. 2. Levi, born June 30, 1755, died unmarried June 14, 1790. 3. Thankful, born 1755, died 1790, unmarried. 4. Joseph, born November 5, 1758, men- tioned below. 5. Levi, born June 14, 1764, married Lydia Farrar, of Temple; resided at Temple, and Amherst, New Hampshire, where he was killed by the kick of a horse. 6. Rebecca, born June 20, 1767, died August 22, 1789. 7. William, born May 30, 1779, mar- ried Mary and resided in Lyndebor- ough, New Hampshire.

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Historic homes and places and genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 50

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed Publication date: 1908 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company Number of Pages: 912

Author: Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918, ed
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical publishing company
Number of Pages: 912