USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Rehoboth > Historical addresses, poem, and other exercises at the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the settlement of Rehoboth, Mass., held October 3, 1894 > Part 9
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Darius Goff was born in the town of Rehoboth, Mas- sachusetts, May 10, 1809, and he was the youngest son of Lieutenant Richard and Mehitable (Bullock) Goff. Hle had four brothers and two sisters : names, Richard, Otis, Horatio, Patience, Nelson, and Mary B., his sister Mary being the only one of the children younger than he.
His ancestral line in the New World begins in the early settlement of the Old Colony, and comes down through the generations in honorable succession. Darius Goff's mother was the daughter of Hon. Stephen Bullock. His great-grandfather on the paternal branch, Richard
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Goff, was one of the first settlers of the Old Colony, and his grandfather, Joseph Goff, was of Barrington, both in their day being men of influence, and held in high esteem. His father, Richard Goff, was a pioncer in wool manufac- ture, establishing at Rehoboth, in 1790, a fulling and cloth dressing mill, which he carrid on with success until 1821, when mills of that character were generally supplanted by large factories, in which all the operations of manufacture were done by improved methods and machinery.
The boyhood days of Darius Goff were in part spent in the village school, where he obtained the rudiments of an English education, and in part in his father's mill, where he acquired a general knowledge of the business, attaining, however, a greater proficiency in the processes of coloring, as most of his work, and his especial interest, was in that department. After his labors at home were ended, he went to Fall River, and was employed for a time in the woolen mill of Jolm and Jesse Eddy. In 1827 he engaged as clerk in a large grocery store in Providence : and he continued in that employment until 1833, when he returned to Rehoboth, and with his brother Nelson, equip- ped and put in operation the first mill in the country known to have been run successfully in the manufacture of cotton batting. Mr. Goff's development of this branch of manufacture, by the introduction of machinery and processes of his own conception and original application, and his other business undertakings from that time until 1861, is outlined in the history of the Union Wadding Company of Pawtucket, which was the grand culmination of his efforts and labors in that line of industrial progress.
In 1861, Mr. Goff conceived and put in execution another enterprise, compassing a field of equal if not greater importance-the manufacture of worsted braids in
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this country, which had previously been purely experi- mental, and had utterly failed_of successful establishment. Upon the foundation then laid by him after strenuous efforts, shared from the beginning by his son, Darius L. Goff, has been established the great worsted braid concern of D. Goff & Sons, whose products are known throughout the whole civilized world. Its history elsewhere given is practically the history of the inception, growth, and de- velopment of the worsted braid industry in the United States; and in it is briefly recorded the nature of the principal difficulties encountered and overcome to effect its permanent and prosperous establishment.
Another signal achievement of Mr. Goff was the founding of the mohair plush industry in America. Prior to 1882, the manufacture of this article for upholstery and other uses of a similar character had been mostly confined to France and Germany. The importation of this ma- terial had become considerable, and was annually increas- ing, and Mr. Goff was inspired with the desirability of its being made a home product, and with the belief that he could profitably undertake it in competition with the for- eign manufactures. To carry out this purpose, in 1882, he sent a skilled mechanic to visit the principal plush manufactories of France and of Germany, to acquire a thorough knowledge of their methods and processes and to purchase the requisite machinery. But his agent utterly failed in accomplishing the object of his mission. The operations at the factories were carried on with the utmost secrecy ; and by no strategy could the necessary machinery be obtained, hence Mr. Goff was thrown back entirely on his own resources of invention, and a resolute determination to achieve a success independent of foreign locks and keys. With characteristic energy he immedi-
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ately instituted a series of experiments, which, although protracted to a period of five years, finally resulted in the construction of a loom, the products of which were fully equal in perfection and value to the best foreign manu- factures.
The last manufacturing industry established under the auspices of Mr. Goff, was the Royal Weaving Com- pany of Pawtucket, and it grew out of an incident which occurred about two years before his death, In looking over a building owned by him, rented to several tenants engaged in various pursuits, he found one of the rooms occupied by an English weaver, Mr. Joseph Ott, employ- ing two hand looms in the manufacture of coat linings, using in their fabrication fine imported yarns. Mr. Ott had but recently arrived in this country, and as far as could be learned, he was the only producer of that class of goods in the United States. Mr. Goff at once discerned the value of this new industry and the feasibility of estab- lishing it here on a permanent and paying basis. To that end he became interested with Mr. Ott, and with his per- sonal assistance and substantial aid the above named com- pany was organized. A factory was soon fitted up with suitable machinery and power, and the manufacture of these goods was successfully inaugurated. The factory of the Royal Weaving Company is at Central Falls; sev. enty-five looms are now in operation, and the fabrics pro- duced are worsted, cotton, and silk.
To within a brief period of his death, Mr. Goff retained in a remarkable degree the full exercise of his mental faculties and physical activity. With unrelaxed interest he visited his mills, gave close attention to the work in hand, and the methods employed, and in an advisory way
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he was to the last the means of effecting more or less salutary changes and improvements.
Mr. Goff died at his home in Pawtucket, R. I., April 14, 1891, closing a long career of great value to the indus- trial interests of the country, and of immeasurable useful- fulness in all departments of life which claimed his ser- vice, aid or sympathy. On his decease the City of Paw- tucket, through her journals, societies and official boards made grateful acknowledgements of its indebtedness to him for his instrumentality in making it first among the textile manufacturing centres of the United States, rela- tive to its population ; and for his activity in the promo- tion of every undertaking for the advancement of its busi- ness, educational, social, and religious interests.
The National Association of Wool Manufacturers, of which he had long been an active member, at a meeting held in Boston, paid earnest tribute to him for his "Pre- eminent services in the diversification and extension of the wool manufacture, to his high character as a man, his large public spirit, his conscientious discharge of every obligation to society, and the earnest devotion to principle by which his life and actions were governed."
Holding in affectionate regard the place of his birth and its early associations, in 1884 Mr. Goff purchased and gave to the Town of Rehoboth, as a site for a Memorial HIall, the old homestead estate which had been in the family since 1714. The old Goff Inn, one of the noted hostelries of colonial days, still remained, and the spot occupied by it was chosen by him for the place of the Hall. Under his auspices, with liberal aid from the town people, a fine edifice was erected, containing school rooms, a lecture hall, a library, and an antiquarian room, in which
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Esek H. Pierce.
Mr. Pierce was born in Swansea, Mass., January 25, 1830, of Pilgrim stock, his ancestry being among the most worthy people of Plymouth Colony. A farmer's son, he had the usual district school opportunities of that day, removing to Rehoboth in 1841. Mr. Pierce was a bright pupil, made the most of his advantages, and qualified him- self to teach school, following this useful work for eleven years ; after which he engaged in mercantile pursuits and in farming. His character and experience naturally fitted him for publie business, and the confidence of the people in his ability and integrity gave him a large share of pro- bate work and the settlement of estates. He has been a member of the school committee of Rehoboth, and a. tax collector for five years. He has been a life-long Repub- lican, and was elected to the Massachusetts General Court in 1892 from the Tenth District, serving on the Committee on Harbors and Public Lands.
Mr. Pierce is not only a public-spirited citizen and a well-read man, but he has also travelled extensively in this country and abroad. In 1891 he sailed from Boston to Liverpool; thenee to Naples, to Alexandria ; thence to Cairo, taking a trip up the Nile, returning to Cairo and then to Ismalia, passing through the Suez Canal to Port Said. Thence he sailed to Jaffa, and by carriage went to Jerusalem ; from Jerusalem he took a horseback jonr- ney of 600 miles to Beirut, and thence to Constantinople, with a homeward trip across the Continent; reaching New York after an absence of about five months, and enriched by the gains of a most interesting and instructive tour.
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Mr. Pierce was one of the most foremost of our citi. zens in promoting the celebration of the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the Town, and as Chairman of the Committee performed his part with honor to himself and credit to the Antiquarian Society and the Town. His in- terest in all that relates to the preservation of the honor- able history of Rehoboth and the advancement of the pre- sent condition of Town affairs is strong and influential, and the Town will always hold his services in high esteem.
Nathaniel Baker Horton.
Mr. N. B. Horton is one of the solid men of Reho- both-solid physically, financially, socially, politically, in- fluentially. He was born to a farmer's life in Rehoboth, July 25, 1820, and by habits of industry and economy has secured a handsome fortune, and by devotion to high prin- ciples of action has won the universal respect of the people. Mr. Horton owns a valuable farm of 250 acres, from which he obtains annual erops of fruits, strawberries, corn, pota- toes, celery, and other vegetables.
Mr. Horton's active interest in putting down the Re- bellion made him the recruiting officer of the Town during the war. He served as a Representative in the Massachu_ setts General Court in 1862 and 1863. He was town treasurer and tax collector for several years. He is one of the largest mill owners in Rehoboth, and is a Director in several Fall River mills. He is also interested in the coal and quarry business. He las acted as executor and administrator of many estates, and is a local banker for loaning money.
WILLIAM W. BLANDING.
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In politics Mr. Horton is an ardent Republican, and in all the relations of a man and citizen he is respected and trusted by the people.
William W. Blanding.
The Blanding ancestry came to New England from Up- ton, County of Worcester, England, as early as 1640, and settled at Boston. William Blanding, the first, owned a section of land south of what is now Summer st., in the neighborhood of Hovey's dry goods store. William Blanding, 2nd, came to Rehoboth about 1660, and settled on Rocky Hill. The Carpenters had already come to Rehoboth, and the two families were united in marriage in the 3rd generation in America, bringing the best blood of the colonial settlements into one family name, the Blanding. William W. bears the name of the first pro- genitor, and the name also of Wheeler, one of the col- lateral branches of the family. William had excellent native ability-developed in one of the best New England families in rural life, -- and received a fair common school education, with a few terms at private school. Brought up on a farm, he has devoted his life to this most useful and honorable occupation, and the farm on which he was born has constantly improved under his intelligent care and industry. He has caused more than two blades of grass to grow where there was only one, and may there- fore be styled a real benefactor. His farm and farmhouses are samples of real enterprise, thrift, neatness and econ. omy.
Mr. Blanding has not been an office-seeker, yet his fellow citizens have honored him with a number of public trusts, having been selectman, assessor, town and church
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treasurer. He was one of the founders of the Rehoboth Antiquarian Society, and is the largest stockholder. He has been treasurer of this Society since its formation. He is an active member of the Congregational Church of Reho- both, and is interested in all the progressive movements of the time.
George Nelson Goff.
The name Goff is found upon the carly records of New England. Thomas Goff, a wealthy merchant of Lon- don, Eng., associated with Matthew Craddock, John Endi- cott, Sir Richard Saltonstall and others, were among the principal actors in laying the foundation of the Massachu- setts Bay Colony. "By mutual agreement among them- selves they were framed into a body politic and confirmed or rather so constituted by the royal charter." The first Gov. chosen was Matthew Craddock ; the first deputy- Gov., Thomas Goff. They were sworn March 23, 1628.
The first Goff to be made a freeman by the General Court was one John, May 18, 1631. But the first Goff in Rehoboth ot whom we have any authentic record was Richard, who married Martha Toogood. Their son Joseph, b. in Rehoboth 1724, m. Patience Thurber; they lived together seventy yrs. and had 14 children, one of whom, Richard, b. 1749 in Rehoboth, m. Mchitable Bullock. Richard was a manufacturer, operating a fulling mill on Palmer's River as early as Jan. 1776, but after the intro- duction of power looms he with other townsmen formed a manufacturing company and built the 3rd cotton mill in this country. He was also a commissioned officer under John Hancock. Two of his sons, Nelson and Darius, succeeded him in the cotton industry in Rehoboth.
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George Nelson, son of Nelson and Alice ( Lake) Goff was born in Rehoboth, 1837 m. Julia Bishop Horton. He is the owner and lives on the old parental homestead, which has been in possession of the family since 1714. Ile was raised a farmer and has always pursued that vocation, but has held various town offices and represented the 10th Bris- tol Representative District in 1885.
Hon. Elisha Davis.
IIon. Elisha Davis, son of John and Nancy Davis, was born Nov. 27th, 1831, upon the homestead in Reho- both where he has since resided. He was educated in the public schools, and, with the exception of the season of 1860, when engaged in brick making, he has devoted him- self to farming upon the paternal acres which came into his possession by inheritance and purchase in 1861, and by his eminent success in his business, has demonstrated the certainty that practical farming, when directed by intelligence and pursued with industry, can be made pro- fitable in the Old Bay State; an object lesson in facts worth more to his wisely observing neighbors than vol- umes of verbal exemplifications could be. That Mr. Davis' abilities have been appreciated by his townsmen is evidenced by their having for many years chosen him to be of their board of selectmen (as they had his father many times before him) and in 1870 he was elected to represent his district-Berkley, Dighton, Rehoboth and Seekonk-in the State Legislature, besides which, he has long held the Governor's Commission as a Justice of the Peace and been largely employed in the settlement of estates in Probate.
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In connection with Mr. Davis' success as a farmer and usefulness as a citizen, it deserves to be said that his estimable wife Etherinda-daughter of the late Burden and Lydia (Baker) Munroe-has been a most notable housekeeper and an exemplary helpmate in all his under- takings.
Their children are two sons, Elisha T. and Daniel E. both now engaged in active business in Chicago, and one daughter, Lydia B. the respected wife of the Rev. F. E. Bixby, pastor of the First Baptist church in Swansea, of which body, both Mr. and Mrs. Davis are dutiful members and it may well be said of them that they are typical representatives of the best citizenship in Massa- chusetts country life, and have kept themselves well abreast with the moral, social and industrial progress of their times and have been and are an honor to their families and the good old town of Rehoboth.
Gustavus B. Peck.
Gustavus B. Peck, son of Cyrus and Rebecca (Sher- man) Peck, was born in Providence, at the southwest corner of John and Thayer streets, December 31, 1832. The Pecks are an old Rehoboth family, settling in that town about 1650; and their descendants are now seat- tered far and wide in the surrounding towns and the county at large. Mr. Peck's mother was from the Sher- inan stock, of Newport, one of the leading families of that city. Mr. Peck is a mason by trade, but has devoted con- siderable time to farming. He married Lydia J. Luther, daughter of Rodolphus and Sophia (Goff) Luther, in 1857. One daughter, Ella Rebecca Peck, was born to the parents. She died at the age of 22 years.
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Mr. Peck has resided at Rehoboth Village since his marriage, and is an active member of the Congregational Church and of the Antiquarian Society. Mr. Peck rendered valuable service in connection with the two hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the town, and is deeply interested in all that relates to its progress.
Ex-Gov. John W. Davis.
The subject of this sketch was born at his father's farm-house in Rehoboth, March 7, 1826, spending the first eighteen years of his life on the farm and attending the district schools of the neighborhood as opportunity al- lowed. In 1844 young Davis left home to learn a mason's trade in Providence, devoting six years to that occupa- tion ; teaching public school winters or travelling as a journeyman, working at his trade in the Southern States. In 1850 he opened a grain store on South Water street, Providence, where he conducted a successful business as a grain and flour merchant for forty years, closing his active mercantile life in 1890. His business career was marked by constant industry, vigorous energy, and thorough honesty. In politics Mr. Davis is a Democrat; and, while not seeking office, he is deeply interested in the political affairs of the city, state, and nation. He was appointed by President Cleveland, in 1886, appraiser of foreign merchandise for the Providence, R.I., U. S. Customs District. In 1887 he was selected as the standard-bearer of the Democratic party for governor of Rhode Island, and was elected by a majority of about 1,100 over all other candidates. He filled the office with ability and fidelity, but was defeated 1888. He was again a candi- date for governor in 1889, receiving a plurality vote of 4,400, over Herbert W. Ladd, but failing of a majority of
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all the votes, as was then required. Mr. Ladd was made Governor by the General Assembly. In 1890, Mr. Davis was again candidate for Governor, received a plurality vote, and was elected by the General Assembly. In 1891, Mr. Davis again led Mr. Ladd in the popular vote as in the years 1889 and 1890, but was defeated by the General Assembly. Among the prominent outcomes of his administration as Governor of Rhode Island may be men- tioned an Investigation and Reform in Prison Discipline ; the Adoption of an Amendment to the State Constitution Extending the Electoral Franchise to all Citizens upon Uniform Qualifications, thus ending a long and bitter partisan controversy of many years standing; also the Adoption of a Ballot Reform Law, and the Establishment of the Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts.
The citizens of his adopted city, Pawtucket, have always been glad to honor him, and he represented that city in the State Senate in the years 1885, 1886 and 1890. He was also President of the Town Council in the years 1882 and 1885. In 1894 and 1895, he was a candidate for Mayor of Pawtucket, wanting only a small vote of an election.
Mr. Davis is now a member of the State House Com- mission, and holds other important business connections. He is highly respected by all parties for his candid expression of opinions, his strong convictions, honesty of purpose and action, and sympathetic touch with the common people, and his appreciation of the needs of society. Old Rehoboth, with her many honored sons and daughters, has great reason to be proud of her son, John W. Davis, the true citizen, the upright Senator, the able Executive of Rhode Island, the honest man.
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Thomas W. Bicknell.
Thomas W. Bicknell, son of Allin and Harriet B. Bicknell, was born in Barrington, R. I., September 6, 1834. Ilis education was obtained in the public schools of his native State, Rhode Island, until he was sixteen years of age.
In 1850, he entered Thetford Academy, Thetford, Vt., then under the principalship of Hiram Orcutt, LL. D., graduating from the Academy with the Greek Oration in 1853.
Mr. Bicknell passed entrance examination at Dart- mouth and Amherst colleges, and entered Amherst in the Class of 1853, under the presidency of Rev. Edward Hitchcock, D.D. At the close of the first year in college he went West, teaching school one year in Illinois, and returning East, taught a high school at Rehoboth Village for two years. Prior to that he taught two terms of winter public schools at the " Old Red School-house" near Rehoboth village, and two terms of private schools at the village.
In 1857, Mr. Bicknell entered the sophomore class of Brown University, and graduated with the degree of A. M., in 1860, under the presidency of Rev. Dr. Barnas Sears. In 1859, he was elected from his native town to the House of Representatives of Rhode Island, and served in that body during his senior year in Brown University. In 1860, Mr. Bieknell was elected principal of the High School, Bristol, R. I., occupying that position five years, and the principalship of the Arnold Street Grammar School, Providence, four years.
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In 1869, Mr. Bieknell was nominated by Gov. Seth Padelford as Commissioner of Public Schools of Rhode Island, and unanimously confirmed by the Rhode Island Senate, and held the office until 1875, securing,
1. The creation of a State Board of Education.
2. The re-establishment of the Rhode Island Normal School, at Providence, on a permanent basis.
3. Legislation on public libraries, and appropriations therefor.
4. Terms of office of School Committee extended from one to three years, with the election of women thereon.
5. A salaried school superintendent for each town in the State.
6. The establishment of evening schools.
7. A more vigorous enforcement of the laws relating to truancy and illiteracy.
8. A large increase in the State and town appropria- tions for public schools.
9. The dedication of more than fifty new school- houses, and a general improvement of the moral and material condition of school work.
10. The restoration, editing and publishing of The Rhode Island Schoolmaster, the State educational journal.
11. The advance of public sentiment, by publie dis- cussions, institutes, lectures, etc., in all parts of the State, and the gathering of great educational meetings, especially of the annual meeting of the Rhode Island Institute of Instruction ; the audiences numbering, in the latter case, more than three thousand people.
The Board of Education pronounced the following verdict on Mr. Bieknell's State administration of schools :
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" He has labored with a diligence, a wisdom, and a conta- gious enthusiasm, which have resulted in lasting benefit to the cause with which his name is identified."
Col. Thomas Wentworth Higginson, the historian, speaks of Mr. Bicknell's "six years of eminently useful service," of the " thoroughness and method " in his reports, of his fearlessness in presenting facts as to illiteracy and other evils, and of his wise methods for school improve- ment and administration.
In 1875, the various monthly educational journals of New England were united in The New England Journal of Education, and Mr. Bicknell was called to the editor- ship, and in the following year became owner and publisher as well as editor. The Primary Teacher was established in 1877, Good Times in 1878, and the bimonthly inter- national magazine, Education, in 1880. All of these educational papers obtained large circulation and influence, and all have to-day a most successful mission in the educational field.
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