USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Brimfield > Historical celebration of the town of Brimfield, Hampden County, Mass > Part 16
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Atter the usual preliminary common school teachings, he was placed at Bacon Academy, Colchester, Conn., for something more than a year, ending September 5. 1806. Subsequently he completed his education at Monson Academy, Mass. He entered upon his business training in that town as a clerk for Norcross, Goodwin & Co., trad- ers in country merchandise, February 8, 1808.
In 1811 he changed his residence to Brimfield, and was employed in the store of Norcross. Lyon & Co. He commenced business on his own account in 1815, as a partner of the firm of Lyon, Wyles & Co. During this period, and from 1815 to '19 he was in the volunteer military service as Adjutant of a regiment of Cavalry.
He also served as a member of the Massachusetts Con- vention for revising the Constitution of the State in 1820, and had. in its sittings, the rare fortune of being the seat- mate of Daniel Webster, who. also a member, had re- cently changed his residence from New Hampshire to
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this State, and was then in the dawn of a fame which he afterwards made world-wide and immortal.
Hle served, too, for six years upon the board of Select- men. during the terms of 1820, '21. '22. '25, '26 and '41. He represented the town in the Legislature, in its lower branch, in the years of 1523, '25. '29 and '30. He was a member of the State Senate from Hampden county in the sessions of '31 and '32.
His valuable experience, and sound judgment, made him conspicuously useful as a director of the Hampshire Manufacturers' Bank at Ware, and at the same time a director and afterwards president for several years of the Monson Bank.
Retiring from active business in 1820. he was for many Years associated with his brother-in law, Horatio Lyon, in the Monson Woolen Manufacturing Company, a most prosperous enterprise managed with great skill and ca- pacity by the resident partner, Mr. Lyon.
In his later life, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Hitchcock Free High School, from the organization of this noble private endowment in 1855, and president of the Board of Trustees from 1862, to his demise in 1874. He gave to this institution a fund of $1000, known as the Wyles Fund.
Inheriting an ample fortune in cash from his father. and in what subsequently became a valuable realty of land, consisting of an entire township in what was known as the " Western Reserve," in Portage county, Ohio, and named Brimfield in honor of his New England residence. I: was largely populated by an emigration from Hamp- den county, after the swell of the tide to the fertile re- gions of the Genesee country in New York, had ceased, and the seekers of new lands explored the wider boun- daries of the States of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. He was closely identified with the interests and improve-
Abrir Brown
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ments of the town, and was, by his character and posi- tion, with the station of independent wealth, of large influence.
Generously endowed with the gifts of leadership, the ease and amplitude of his means did not impel him to that activity of effort which would have given him a wide circle of control, and an assured reputation as a publicist, for which he lacked no quality to have attained but the stimulus of ambition! Prudent but not penurious, and thrifty and cautious in his management of his pecuniary affairs, he accumulated. while living generously but not ostentatiously, an ample fortune.
Married in 1816, March 19, to Miss Lydia Lyon. his family consisted of three sons and two daughters, of whom only one son, William Henry,s and one daughter, Delia Olmstead, wife of Marshall B. Blake of New York, survive him.
His charities and bequests, public and private, were liberal, and had the singular peculiarity of being unob- trusively and in private, never wishing any public dem- onstration to those outside of the conferment. His most considerable gitt was that of 85,000 to the benefit of the Congregational Society of the town. His name is honor- ably inscribed in the annals of his village history, and his silent and quiet charities give him a claim to an enduring record, as also his fidelity to corporate and private trusts and duties, in a long and unblemished life.
Col. Abner Brown, son of Issachar and Rhoda ( Nich- ols) Brown, was born June 2. 1785. At this time the families of the name of Brown, although not found among the original proprietors, largely outnumber those of any other name. There are two prominent families of the name; one the descendants of Jonathan Brown. who removed from Salem. Mass .. to Brimfield. about
* W. H. Wyles died April 23, 1877.
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1739. The others are descendants of Dea. David Brown, who came to town at a later period. Abner was a grand- son of Jonathan Brown. He received most of his edu- cation at the public schools of his native town, but at- tended one term at Westfield and one at New Salem academies. He was a popular school master in his youth, being engaged for fifteen winters in the schools of Brimfield. When he taught the "town plot" district he had 112 pupils of all ages and sizes. At one time. when he taught in the North-east district, Thaddeus and Eras -. tus Fairbanks were two of his pupils, and when in after years he heard of their success in Vermont, he remarked that they but met his expectations. In the war of 1812 he served as Lieutenant under Col. Enos Foot of South- wiek, and Captain Isaac Fuller of Monson. in the com- pany drafted from the towns of Monson and Brimfield.
An incident that occurred about this time deserves mention : On the morning of September 11, 1814. he heard cannonading, and called the attention of Deacon Bishop and others to the sound ; they listened to it for a full half hour, supposing at first that it was thunder. They learned a few days after. however, that the sound was nothing less than the firing at the engagement be- tween the British and American flotillas off Plattsburg, more than 160 miles distant. Lieutenant Brown after- wards rose to the rank of Colonel in the militia. and was elected to the Legislature in 1835, being in the House when the special session was held to revise the statutes of the Commonwealth. Colonel Brown and his family were always closely identified with the history of the town. and he was constantly kept in office, either as school committee, selectman or assessor during the whole of his active life. Probably no man was ever more esteemed by his fellow-townsmen than was Colonel Brown. A man to whom all could safely and confidently go for ad-
Fluid Home
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vice. he always enjoyed the confidence of the people. which he never betrayed. While not a forward man or a recognized leader, his association with men had given him a keen insight of human nature, and had endowed him with a fund of information that made him a perfect cyclopedia of all matters pertaining to local incident and history. He married JJedidah Sumner. His children were: James Bridgham, born Dec. 12, 1817; Charles Sumner, born Oct. 2. 1819, died Aug. 1, 1824. Sarah Ann and Mary Ann, twins, born June 7, 1824.
Alured Homer was born in Brimfield, Jan. 20, 1796. He was descended from a family which came to the Mas- sachusetts Bay among the earliest colonists; of this fam- ily was the third President of Harvard College. The branch of the family from which the subject of this sketch descended, settled in Concord, and has been remarkable for the number of distinguished lawyers it has produced. Ilis ancestors were among the founders of the town of Brimfield. Alured was the fifth in the regular line, all of whom had resided in the town. His father's name was Solomon, who was a Colonel of Cavalry in the State Militia, and a deacon in the church, and through the whole history of the family the military and the church spirit divided the attention of its members. Not unfre- quently do we find that those best known as as soldiers were foremost in the church. The father of the family came to this country to escape persecution and to obtain freedom to think and live in accord with his own con- science and the principles of the Bible, and his descen !- ants have ever remained true to his teachings and exam- ple in their hatred of oppression. Alured Homer was. like his father before him. a farmer. He was obliged to make his own way in life, and for some years worked by the month, giving his wages to help support his father's family.
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In 1822. Nov. 28. be married Ruth Bliss, the daughter of Ichabod Bliss, whose family was also one of the oldest in town. Now commencing to labor for himself. year after vear he baffled with the rocky soil to compel it to produce its fruit. Success slowly crowned his efforts, and the money thus obtained was quickly invested in lands so that at one time in his life he was the owner of five hun- dred avres of the best land in the town. Although early in life. he would have chosen some other occupation if the way had seemed open. He was a true farmer, and few men manifested more enthusiasm in this business, or showed greater devotion to the interests of their class. He was ever ready to try any experiment and make any test, at no matter what expense of time or money, if they promised to make the soil more productive, or farm labor easier-and was first to seize upon a time or labor- saving invention, which gave promise of success, as for example, he was the first to introduce into the town the use of the iron-plow, the horse-rake and the mowing- machine.
He believed that the farmer should not only be a laborer in his occupation, but a student as well, and to carry out this idea, was instrumental in forming the " Brimfield Farmers' Club and Library," which flourished for sometime, but as all did not share his enthusiasm, the club at length disbanded, and the Library was sold.
The establishment and the success of the " Worcester County Cheese Factory," an institution which has been of incalculable value to the farmers and dairymen of the re- gion,-the first of its kind in all New England .- was largely due to the use of his influence and means. For many years he was a member of the New England Agri- cultural Society, an active director and vice-president of the Hampden Fair Association, and president of the East- ern Hampden Agricultural Society during the time of its
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greatest prosperity. He was a delegate to the State Board of Agriculture for six years.
He faithfully represented his district in the Legislature of 1848, and was the author of some statutes which have stood the test of time ; among others, a law " authorizing towns to take lands for school-houses."
He was elected County Commissioner for Hampden County in the year 1853, and for four years performed thoroughly and conscientiously, the laborious duties of this office. . Being a man of decided principle and thought always openly expressed, he was in no wise fitted nor did he have any ambition to lead the life of a politi- cian, but taking interest in all public affairs, he did not ro- fuse to perform a public duty when conferred upon him.
He was chairman of the Selectmen in 1848 and 1853. and served the town in various other offices; he was closely identified with the interests of the town. and was foremost in every good work, whether for the pleasure or profit of its people. The history of the town would be incomplete without some reference to him and to his life. A Calvinist and Congregationalist by education, he was prominent in the management of the church and parish, gave liberally of his means for the support of the gospel at home and abroad, and endeavored to advance the cause of God by word and example. His religion was a living, real fact of every day life and experience, and the Golden Rule was his infallible guide in all dealings with his fellow-men.
Of a fine presence and military bearing, with a face which was marked with decision, almost amounting to sternness, he was also fitted to sustain the martial spirit of his ancestry. For many years he was an officer in the State militia, and captain of the famous Brimfield Rifle Company, in whose formation he was instrumental.
His early education was only such as the common
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schools of the town furnished, and these he was able to attend only in the winter season. his father requiring his services during tor summer. After he was twenty-one years of age, ho bought school for several winters. His opportunities therefore for instruction were not great. but such me they were he improved. In later life, when trying to make up his deficiency in this respect, often did he regret his lack of a thorough classical education. As an instance of his persistence in the pursuit of knowl- edge. it is related that, when a young man. he purchased a Jolmson's Pocket Dictionary, which for many years he carried with him. so that when he heard an unfamiliar word he might at once seek its meaning and history. And surely for one whose days were busily spent in till- ing the soil, his literary taste was cultivated under ad- verse circumstances ; few farmers find time or inclination to read even the most common English classics, but with very many of these he was familiar.
In character he was free from vice or evil habit-sim- ple in his taste-scrupulously honest, unsuspicious and open-hearted, sincere in action and expression. He be- lieved there was much that was good in all men, and was ever ready to help the fallen and assist the needy. Gen- erous to a fault, but with that which he thought to be wrong he would make no compromise. A thorough patriot, he loved his native country and his native town. He died at the age of seventy-four years, respected and beloved by the people of Brimfield.
John Merrick Warren was born in Brimfield, Massa- chusetts, September 6, 1797, his father, Philemon Warren. being the fourth of descent from Daniel Warren, son of Jolm. born in England, who emigrated to the Colony of Massachusetts in 1630, settling at Watertown in this State.
The founder of the family was one of three brothers
Linhamen €
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who came over in companionship, the two latter hav- ing located, one in New Hampshire, and the other (the ancestor of General Joseph Warren) in Roxbury, Massachusetts. The father of John Merrick Warren was therefore a collateral relation of the martyr of Bunker Hill as second cousin. ·
The subject of our notice received the usual advan- tages of a country school, finishing his education at the academy in Monson, then the institution most resorted to by the young men of his native town. He followed the avocation of his father, and was associated with him in the tanning and finishing of leather.
In the year ISIS, for the purpose of gratifying his desire to travel, and incidentally for business purposes, he made a tour of the South, at that period an important undertaking, sailing from Boston to Richmond, Va., thence going through portions of Virginia, North Caro- lina, Georgia, and as far as Huntsville in northern Ala- bama. Returning after an absence of several months. he entered immediately upon the pursuit of his calling, and from small beginnings developed a large and remunera- tive business, comprising both the manufacture of leather, and of boots and shoes, which, during many years following, materially promoted the prosperity of the town.
It may be remembered that in consequence of the financial troubles of 1837, so disastrously affecting the southern States, there were but few houses dealing with that section of the country, able to sustain themselves. The firm of P. Warren & Sons. (of which John M. War- ren was the senior active member, then suffered losses sufficient to sweep away almost their entire accumula- tions, and after struggling for a considerable time against adverse circumstances, were finally compelled to succumb.
Later, and in connection with his son James J. Warren.
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he again embarked in the leather trade. and so continued during the remainder of his life.
His capacity for mercantile pursuits if not complete was of a high onder, possessing quick and accurate judg- ment in all matters pertaining to his calling. Of his character as a man, his remembrance is without a single act to need charity of opinion, in the retrospect of his earnest life.
Married in his twenty-second year (1819) to Miss Rachel Harvey, his whole domestic life was without blemish. He reared a family of two sons and four daughters, all of whom yet survive him, together with a widowed wife by a second marriage.
. As a citizen, he enjoyed the regard and confidence of his fellow-townsmen, and had confided to him honorable and responsible trusts. In 1831, he was one of the Board of Selectmen. in 1836 he represented his town in the State Legislature, and was its treasurer in the years 1839-40-41-42.
With a large and intelligent public spirit, benevolent in contribution, and active in his influence in all that ele- Vates a community, his long and busy life was without cause for reproach or censure. He died in his native town, on the sixth day of September, 1868.
Fitz Henry Warren, the youngest son of Philemon Warren, was born in Brimfield, January 11, 1816, after going through the usual course of the town school, with one or more terms at Wilbraham academy, he commenced his business life in New York city as clerk in a mercan- tile house ; from thence he went to Petersburg. Va., where he was with Paul MeElwain & Co., for one or more years, when he returned to Massachusetts, and continued in the same business at Chicopee. From 1835 to December, 1×49 ; he was connected with his father and brother in the manufacture of leather, boots and shoes at Brimfield.
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During his residence here at that period the Rifte Com- pany, having become reduced in numbers and efficiency. was by the efforts of Mr. Warren and others recruited by enlistments to a full company, of which he was chosen captain June 12, 1837 ; he was promoted the next year. and in 1840 was colonel of the Tenth Regiment of Massa- chusetts volunteer militia. While in these positions he exhibited the same qualities, which in after life were conspicuous in the service of his country in the war of the rebellion.
In 1844, he emigrated to and located in Burlington. Iowa; here he was engaged in mercantile business, and for several years was connected with the Burlington Hawk- ogje as editor ; here. as previously in his native State, tak- ing an active part in politics, and was chairman of the Whig State Committee. In 1849, he was appointed by President Taylor, first assistant postmaster general. In this high and responsible position he displayed such judg- ment and business tact as to secure general commenda- tion ; resigning the office in 1852, he had charge of the National Whig Committee during the Scott Presidential Campaign.
Returning to Iowa in 1853, he was engaged in bank- ing and steamboating on the Mississippi River. Notwith- tanding his business pursuits, he continued active in poli- tics, a zealous worker and efficient speaker in every Na- tional and State election. After the election in 1860. his name was prominent among those mentioned for the office of postmaster general. It is said his former posi- tion in the department was offered him, which he declined. In 1861. he was assistant editor of the New York Trib- bune, at the head of the staff in Washington, and was the author of the famous " On to Richmond " corres- pondence.
He resigned this position to take command of the First
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lowa Cavalry, one of the first volunteer cavalry regi- ments mustered into the service of the United States ; he was promoted to Brigadier General in August, 1862; he was afterward made Brevet Major General.
In the State canvass of 1863. General Warren's name was prominent before the convention as candidate for the office of governor of lowa. In the fall of that year, he was ordered to New Orleans, afterward to Matagorda Island and given a brigade command ; soon after he was appointed to command the First Division of the Thir- teenth Army Corps, stationed near Indianola, Texas. In June, 1864, he was appointed to a district command. with head-quarters at Baton Rouge.
In the following summer, his health having failed, he was relieved from command, and placed on duty in New York City, where he remained until the close of the war.
General Warren was elected to the lowa Senate in 1866, and served one term. He was appointed minister to Guatemala the same year, and resided there with his family till 1869, when he resigned, returning to Iowa the same year; he afterward was engaged in the construction of several railroads in the states of Iowa, Missouri and Nebraska.
He joined the Liberals in the Presidential Campaign of 1872, taking a prominent part in the convention at Cin- cinnati, and was at the head of the Iowa electoral ticket. In 1875-6, he was employed at Washington and New York, as writer for the New York Sun.
Hle married Sophia Hannah Bartlett# Oct. 29, 1838; of their family of three sons and one daughter, of whom one son. Francis Johnson, and the daughter, Lily Johnson, are living.
Samuel Austin Hitchcock was born in Brimfield, Janu- ary 9. 1794. His father, Gad Hitchcock, was a native of
*Mrs. Warren died at Brimfield, April 15, 1877.
Forthe Freeform of Mainfile
Fay MeSamuel austin Hitchcock Sixten dollars for Keeping School Hine Within Haynes Hill district this Winter-
March 24. 1812
2 dutmen
€16.00.
of
Bonga Thenman
Hulemon Waren
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Union, Ct., and in early life served the usual apprentice- ship in the tailor's trade with Mr. Gates, a clothier of East Brimfield, but for many years he was a hatter by trade. He married Keziah, daughter of Lieut. Samuel Bates of East Brimfield. She was a notable housekeeper, and the household thrived under her care. Her son owed to her careful training, much of that thrift and enterprise that marked his after life.
The boy Samuel was a dutiful son, a hard-working. in- dustrious lad, and early in life supported himself by his own efforts. His necessities prevented him from enjoy- ing the privileges of any higher education than such as the common schools of his town afforded. It was a de- privation that he keenly felt, as he saw one and another of his youthful companions enrolling themselves among the students of Monson Academy, and it had much to do with the special sympathy which he afterwards cherished for young men debarred by poverty, as he had been, from the enjoyment of advantages which others could afford. He attended school only during the winter terms ; working on a farm, "riding post," or being en- gaged as " store-boy" during the summer season. One winter, when he was seventeen years old, he was asked to take charge of a district school, and though the school had been somewhat notorious for the turbuleney of the scholars, his administration was a successful one. We give on the opposite page a fac-simile of the selectmen's order for his pay as teacher of this school.
The next year. March 23. 1812. he left home in search of more remunerative employment, with one dollar of borrowed money in his pocket, and all his spare clothing tied up in a blue striped handkerchief. He found a place in the store of Bela Tiffany of Dudley, and so devoted himself to the interests of his employer during the first year, that at its close, he was rewarded with a gratuity
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of $50. a large sum in those days, " for extra services during the year." This he at once deposited in the Savings bank and, as illustrative of the maxim which governed his financial management all through life. namely, never to withdraw an investment, this same fifty dollars remained to his credit in the same bank at the time of his death.
In 1820. he went to Boston, and there in connection with: Matthias Armsby and Thatcher Tucker, established, under the name of Armsby, Tucker & Co., the first dry goods commission house in New England, whose special business was the sale of goods manufactured by the dif- ferent cotton mills then recently established. It does not appear that any capital was required. yet when at the end of fifteen months the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent, Mr. Hitchcock received 83.000 as his share of the assets. He retained his connection with this house through various changes, until 1839, though, his health being somewhat impaired, he left Boston in 1831, and went to Southbridge to act as agent of the Hamilton Woolen Company, which position he held for eleven years. He represented the town in the Legislature in' 1536, and from 1836 to 1842, was president of the South- bridge bank.
At this time he retired from active business, and re- turned to Brimfield, where he had in 1832 purchased a house for his widowed mother. With her, and with his sister's family, he enjoyed for many years the restful quiet of a happy, well-ordered home. After his mother's death in 1858, and the subsequent removal of his sister's family, he continued to live in the same quiet, unosten- tatious way until his death, November 23, 1873.
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