History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1890, Part 39

Author: Deyo, Simeon L., ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York : Blake
Number of Pages: 1292

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HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

by the Reading Steamship Company. He retired in 1886. He was first married to Sarah A. Burse, who died in 1880, leaving three chil- dren: Sarah, Rose and George W., jr. He was married October 10, 1883, to Hannah P., daughter of Allen Bourne.

Jesse B. Barlow, born in 1838, is the eldest son of Jesse and a grand- son of Jesse Barlow, who came to Pocasset from Newport, R. I., when a lad, and married Polly Godfrey. They raised four children, of whom three sons are living-one in the West, and Jesse and William A., in Pocasset. His mother was Maria Ellis. Mr. Barlow has been a sailor since 1847, and has had charge of vessels since 1862. He was married in 1858 to Susan H., daughter of Frederick Westgate. They have three children: Zetta F., Jesse F. and Flora M.

Edward W. Barlow, youngest brother of Jesse B., was born in 1856. He has been at sea for the last fifteen years, and master of a vessel since 1879. He was married in 1878 to Elizabeth Wright. Their chil- dren are: Frank E., Susan, Sarah M. and Alden W. He is a member of Marine Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Falmouth.

Captain George F. Bauldry, son of Samuel Bauldry, was born in England in 1824. He was at sea from 1836 until 1SSS, and was for several years a most successful whaling captain, sailing from New Bedford. He died September 25, 1889, at his home in Bourne. He was married in 1853 to Nancy E. Berry, who, with three children- George L., Ella E. and Lyman C .- survives him.

Everett E. Berry, born in 1861, is a son of Gideon and Sabra A. (Eldridge) Berry. In 1878 he began work for the Old Colony Rail- road Company (Woods Holl Branch), and since 1885 has been a conductor. He was married in 1884 to Ella Brown, and has two sons and one daughter. He is a member of Woods Holl Lodge, Knights of Honor.

Edwin A. Blackwell, born in 1846, is the eldest son of Edwin H. Blackwell. His mother was Sarah, daughter of Gershom Ellis. Mr. Blackwell is a contractor and builder and also does some archi- tectural work. He was married in December, 1SS0, to Abbie G. Walker. They have two children: Agnes P. and Otto B.

Elliott B. Blackwell, born in 1852, is a son of Captain Henry S. and Mary (Ellis) Blackwell and a grandson of John and Hannah (Swain) Blackwell. He is one of seven children, of whom only he and his sister, Mary A., are living. He has been a carpenter for several years. He was married in November, 1SSS, to Susan F. Douglass.

Ellis H. Blackwell, born in 1839, is a son of Ellis and Lydia (Perry) Blackwell, grandson of John and great-grandson of Patrick Blackwell. From boyhood until 1874 he was engaged in coasting and sailing, with the exception of a few years spent in California

Boy Bourne ourne

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and Montana. Since 1874 he has been in the oyster business. He was married in 1871 to Rowena A., daughter of Stephen Cahoon.

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN BOURNE .- On that beautiful slope of land at the head of Buzzards bay, in Bourne, in its rich landscape of land and sea, stands the ancestral mansion in which the honored subject of this sketch was born February 25, 1816. He was a scion of that family tree from Puritan stock transplanted by Sir Richard Bourne, into Sandwich in 1637, and the fruits of whose branches have been cast in their golden harvest over this portion of Barnstable county. In this particular branch the male line of eldest sons were: Sir Richard, Job, Timothy, Timothy, Dr. Benjamin, Esquire Benjamin and Benjamin F. Bourne, who died of typhoid pneumonia at this home February 11. 1874, after an illness of twelve days. The life of this just and active citizen was replete with incident and usefulness. His boyhood was passed on the home farm and in the district school until his attendance at Wilbraham Academy in his eighteenth year. His adventurous dis- position induced him when nineteen years old to ship from New York city on his first voyage, and he followed the sea more or less until his marriage, September 1, 1846, to Miss Elizabeth Lincoln, a descendant of Captain Rufus Lincoln, of Wareham, and of revolutionary fame.

.The newly discovered gold fields of California offered such induce- ments, that a company of twenty-five men in the winter of 1848-9 chartered the schooner John Allyne, with A. Brownell, captain, and Benjamin F. Bourne as mate and sailing master, and left New Bed- ford, February 13, 1849, for this then far-off land. The incident dan- gers of doubling Cape Horn induced the company to attempt the passage of the Straits of Magellan. On the first of May, Mr. Bourne and three companions went ashore to purchase fresh provisions and were captured by the savages of Patagonia-a race of cannibals- who retained him for a ransom of rum and tobacco. By the treachery of the natives he was compelled to remain a prisoner, enduring hun- ger and hardships that would have proved fatal to ordinary powers. He effected his escape after ninety-seven days of horror and suffer- ing, and was enabled by the kindness of ship captains to complete his voyage to the golden land. His trials for three years fill an interest- ing volume written by himself and which passed through two editions that his many friends could each possess a copy. The government sent the sloop of war Vandalia to rescue him, but he had escaped. After his return home and restoration to comparative health, he, with Mr. De Witt of Albany, N. Y., had a fine brig built on Long Island, and he continued coasting until 1857, when he retired to till the pater- nal acres of the homestead. His father, Benjamin Bourne, Esq., after a long and useful life as a legislator and selectman, died December 21, 1863, in this same home erected by him in 1807; and the surround-

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ing estate fell to the care of Benjamin F. The residence had been erected to face the ship canal, looking south; but a general remodel- ing was given the house, only leaving two large rooms as reminders of the past.

In his retirement and the cares of his estate, Mr. Bourne did not seek official honors, although he was often pressed by his many friends to serve in various capacities, which he invariably refused. His quiet, firm judgment gave him strength in counsel and action, and his advice and presence were sought after on all important occa- sions. His name and support to any measure was an earnest of its justice and success, and because he insisted upon certain benefits for the western part of the town (now Bourne) the people of Sandwich village gave him the name of "Dictator." He foresaw the ultimate division of the old town and the growing importance of resorts and village lots at Buzzards Bay, and at the time of his death he was ac- tively engaged in dividing and plotting into lots that portion of his estate, now the site of that growing village. His funeral was largely attended February 16, 1874, by friends from abroad, and the news- papers of the cities of the Commonwealth, as well as of the county, teemed with eulogies and descriptions of his useful and remarkable career, in a life, which was shortened, undoubtedly, by his early hard- ships. Surviving him, besides his widow, are the children-Lizzie Lincoln, who married Fred. O. Smith; Annie DeWitt, widow of Joshua Handy, deceased; and Benjamin F. Bourne, the only surviving male representative of this line, the eldest born, William H. De Witt, being deceased. The surviving children reside with the mother on the home estate, except Mrs. Smith, who lives near by. The children of Fred. O. Smith, who married Lizzie Lincoln Bourne October S, 1873, are: Frederick F., Lottie I., Daniel DeWitt, Kate M. and Edith L. Mr. Smith is not only a civil engineer, but a contractor and builder; and the son, Benjamin F. Bourne, has the care of the estate. The children of Mrs. Annie Handy are: Richard Clifton and Edith Florence Handy. The life and character of Benjamin F. Bourne, deceased, are marked by those characteristics that led his ancestors to Christianize the natives; and his practical Christian principles in public and individual affairs has left to his memory a more enduring monu- ment than that erected in the private ground of the estate.

Jerome L. Bourne, born in 1848, is a son of Joshua and Mary Ann (Cady) Bourne, and grandson of Jonathan Bourne. He was a sailor for fourteen years, but since 1881 he has been a painter. He was mar- ried in 1873 to Emma, daughter of George T. and Hannah S. (Bourne) Gray. They have three children: Austin G., Ralph W. and Rebecca A. Mr. Bourne is a member of the Bourne Methodist Episcopal church, and is trustee and steward of the same.

TOWN OF BOURNE. 347

Samuel Bourne is a son of Nathan and grandson of Samuel Bourne. His mother was Hannah, daughter of Moses and Rebecca Swift. Mr. Bourne's great-grandfather, Elisha Bourne, was an early settler from England. He was a tory during the revolution and on that account had to flee from his home and hid away in woods owned by himself for some months. He afterward went to Connecticut and remained till peace was declared, but lost much of his property by so doing. He was an officer under King George and took the oath of allegiance just before the war broke out. Two years before the war broke out he sent to England and purchased a clock for eighty dollars, which is now owned by Mr. Samuel Bourne and is 117 years old. Mr. Samuel Bourne followed the sea until about ten years ago, and since then has been a farmer. He was married in February, 1853, to Mary G., daugh- ter of Lewis and Rachel Perry7 (Solomon', Timothy', Timothy', John3, Ezra', John Perry'). Their two sons living are Charles E. and Nathan L. Ansel, deceased, left three sons: John, Chester and Charles.

Benjamin F. Bray was born in 1847 in South Yarmouth. He is the only living child of Benjamin, and he a son of Eben Bray. His mother was Olive Crowell. He entered the employ of Keith Manufacturing Company at Sagamore, in December, 1881, took charge of works at Hyannis in October, 1882, and in August, 1884, returned to Sagamore and took charge of the works there. He was married in 1871 to Clara L. Robbins. They have had three sons: Alexander F., Frank O. and Winsor E., the eldest of whom was drowned June 21, 1889.

George I. Briggs was born in Wareham November 3, 1843, and is the son of Jedediah and Mercy (Bodfish) Briggs. Educated in the Wareham schools he went to sea at a very early age and entered the navy in 1861, where he served as quartermaster during the rebellion on the Southern coast, and was often under fire, being on several boat occasions one of the few who escaped alive. He mar- ried, in 1872, Thirza Ayer Keen, and has one daughter. He is a member of Charles Chipman Post, G. A. R., Sandwich, has been some five years on the school committee, and is in many ways a driving, useful citizen in the town of Bourne, which he lent a strong hand to incorporate and organize.

Aaron L. Burgess, son of Perez and grandson of Covel Burgess, was born in 1811, and is a blacksmith. He has worked at the trade at Catatimet about fifty years. He was married in 1834 to Mary S., daughter of John Bourne. They have one daughter, Mary E., who married Anthony Little in 1868, and has one daughter, Hattie M.

Charles H. Burgess 2d, born in 1830, is a son of Covel and grandson of Covel Burgess. His mother was Loraina Swift. He was an iron moulder by trade. In 1862 he obtained a patent on a furnace water door, and since that time he has been engaged with the invention,

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HISTORY OF BARNSTABLE COUNTY.

which is now in general use. He has been a member of the school board about twenty years, and superintendent for the last three years, and has also been justice of the peace. He was married in 1855 to Helen M., daughter of George Atkins. They have one daughter, Helen M.

Elisha H. Burgess, born in 1836, is the youngest son of Jabez and a grandson of Covel Burgess. His mother was Rebecca Bassett. He is a machinist and worked at that trade about six years. He has kept a grocery store at Pocasset since April, 1881. In March, 18SS, he moved his store to where it now stands, and since April 1, 1SSS, he has been postmaster. He served two years in the war of the rebellion in Company D, Twenty-fourth Massachusetts Infantry. His wife, de- ceased, was Ellen Jaquith, who left two daughters: Christina A. and Mary E.

CAPTAIN NATHANIEL BURGESS .- Doctor Savage says of Thomas Burgess, one of the first settlers of the plantation of Sandwich, "He was a chief man of them." We safely write that none of his descend- ants in Cape Cod more worthily bears the name to-day than Captain Nathaniel Burgess of Bourne. He represents the seventh generation of the family, the male line of descent being Thomas, John, Samuel, Thomas, Nathaniel, Nathaniel and Captain Nathaniel. The Captain's father was born in that part of Sandwich now Bourne, May 15, 1779. and married Peggy, daughter of Peter Cammett of Barnstable, No- vember 27, 1806. He died April 27, 1853. aged seventy-four, surviving his wife of sixty-seven by only a few days. Their children were: Wat- son, Nathaniel, Catharine, Hunnewell, Robert W., Malvina and Ro- silla E.

Of these eight children the only survivor is the second, Captain Nathaniel Burgess, who was born at Pocasset, February 11, 1812, where his boyhood was passed in work upon his father's farm, with very few advantages for school. At the age of fifteen he went in a whaling vessel, and his proficiency secured him the appointment of mate in the whaler Robert Edwards of New Bedford, at the age of twenty-two, and that of captain at the age of twenty-six. This position he success- fully filled for eighteen years, and became known as one of the most capable shipmasters; one voyage of twenty-eight months yielded $100,000 worth of oil to the owners, and another $80,000. Not only as a skilled navigator, but as a capable manager of men, Captain Bur- gess has an enviable reputation. He regards the control of the crew as the most difficult of the master's duties. His last crew represented nine nationalities. His voyages were chiefly in the Pacific, with a few in the Arctic seas, and at the age of forty-two he retired with a com- petence.

The captain has his share of perils and trials to relate to posterity, and remembers with gratitude one voyage to the Arctic seas, on which

Sophiaweil Burgers

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E. BIERSTADT, N. Y.

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TOWN OF BOURNE.

his wife and two children accompanied him, she being the first cap- tain's wife on the Cape to undertake such a voyage. They were em- bayed twelve days in a mass of ice, and the bank around the vessel shut out a view of the surroundings. His anxiety was the need of fresh water, as the necessary supply seemed uncertain. The men went out and at no great distance found a basin or pond of beautiful water in the field of ice, from which they filled and stored about one hundred barrels before the ship was loosed. The captain graphically describes the scene of endless ice fields, the men so cheerfully at work, his two children at play on the ice, and the want of water so provi- dentially supplied.

After his first voyage as chief mate and his appointment as master, he married, on the seventh of July, 1838, Ann, daughter of Peter Cam- mett, jr. Their children were: Margaret, born January 23, 1846, died in 1881; Robert W., September 8, 1847; Helen, February 14. 1849. died October, 1866; Edward, June 20, 1852, died same year; Edward H., born January 15, 1854; and Lucy E., born May 24. 1857. Since retiring from sea Mr. Burgess has been engaged in the oyster business at Monument Beach, which has been since 1884 continued by his sons, Robert W. and Edward H., as Burgess Brothers, who furnish the market with the celebrated "Little Bay oysters." Robert followed the sea about twelve years, and in 1880 was married to Amanda F. Penniman. Ed- ward H. was engaged in the oyster business with his father several years prior to 1884. He married Ella Wright in 1874, and has three sons and two daughters, who represent the ninth generation of this old family.

The subject of this sketch, Captain Nathaniel Burgess, as a re- tired sea captain, represents one of the most substantial and char- acteristic elements in the population of the county. That hard- earned discipline of mind which brought him success at sea has secured to him on land, as well, that fair degree of appreciation from his townsmen, which, in his old age, he is now enjoying. He has always advocated the principles of the republican party, but, except one year as selectman of Sandwich, has taken no official place; he was, however, associated with Isaac N. Keith and Benjamin B. Abbe on the executive committee when Bourne was incorporated, and bore his part in the work in the town and for weeks before the legislative committee. When we consider that Captain Burgess be- gan his career at sea with less of school training than the average boy of twelve now has, and when we find him acquiring in the forecastle the elements of an English education and a practical knowledge of the science of navigation, and see him steadily ad- vancing to take command of a ship and its crew, we have some slight measure of the ambition and energy that are, doubtless, the leading

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traits of his character. His name is strength to any undertaking. and his active industry and moral characteristics are an earnest of his success.

CAPTAIN SETH S. BURGESS .- This well-known resident lives in the town of Bourne, on the eastern shore of Buzzards bay, in the quiet retirement of his mature years. He was born in this vicinity, May 18, 1810, and is a descendant of the illustrious Thomas Burgess, who with a few others, in 1637, planted the first permanent settlement in Sandwich. Any who have inherited this honorable family name have a just right to be proud of this heroic Puritan ancestor, who died in 1685 and whose grave was honored with the only inscribed stone erected to any Pilgrim of the first generation. The male line of descent from this pioneer to Captain Burgess is direct, be- ing: Thomas, John, Samuel. Thomas, Covill, Perez and Seth S.

Perez Burgess spent his later years at farming, but was captain of coasters until 1820. His son, Seth S., then a lad of ten years, accom- panied him on his last voyage, and the next year went with his uncle, Jabez Burgess, as cook at three dollars per month. From that time his opportunity for obtaining an education was confined to the winter months. At eighteen years of age he was mate, and the next year he took charge of the sloop Deborah, in the employ of his uncle, Ellis Swift. After a captaincy of three years in this sloop, while at Fall River with a cargo of lumber, he met Lovell & Burr, lumber mer- chants, who offered him a brig in the coasting and West India trade, which he accepted. For a few years he successfully managed the brig and the schooner Patriot, visiting Bremen and other European ports. In 1838 he purchased the sloop Meteor, which he commanded two years. He then coasted south with varied and successful experien- ces, visiting South America and other intervening ports in the brig Massachusetts. During most of the time for the next twenty-two years he was in the employ of Thomas Whitridge & Co. of Baltimore, in the Brazilian trade, commanding the following vessels: The schooner Clara in 1851, the barque Mondamin in 1856, the ship Gray Eagle in 1861, and the barque Yamoyden in 1868. These vessels, with the exception of the Gray Eagle, were built expressly for Cap- tain Burgess. Mr. Whitridge rarely insured the goods entrusted to the captain's care, because he felt confident of their safety. In 1873, after forty-four years in command of every kind of vessel, from sloops to ships, without the loss of a man or vessel and even without a serious accident, the captain retired to enjoy the fruits of his labors.

September 3, 1833, he married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of Reu- ben Collins. She died January 13, 1845, leaving two children; Clara A., who still resides at the homestead, and Seth M. now of New York

Seth S. Burger

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E. BIERSTADT. N. Y.

٣ وس بك عبد

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city. Captain Burgess married January 3, 1850, Lucy E., youngest sister of his first wife. She died August 9, 1879.

The captain's residence is charmingly situated in a quiet rural com- munity, and as a typical New England homestead we make it the sub- ject of the accompanying illustration. It is older than the Declaration of American Independence and is rich in historic associations. It was for years the home of Dea. Daniel Perry, by whose ancestor it was erected. It passed into the hands of Ezekiel Thacher, of whom the captain purchased it in 1832. The original house has received various additions and improvements, but its identity is by no means destroyed.

Political preferment has not been the aim of Captain Burgess, al- though he has been active in the dominant party-a demcerat until 1861 and a republican since. His father, an exemplary Methodist, early taught him the principles of religion and his favorite precept was "Seth, deal honestly." His life has been that marked by his res- olution in the first forecastle, seventy years ago. Captain Burgess early identified himself with the Methodist church at Bourne, of which for nearly fifty years he has been an officer, his consistant Christian example and liberal hand adding their full share to its prosperity. By his thoughtful liberality and sympathy for the suf- fering, he has firmly bound to himself the hearts of the poor and unfortunate. From his father, Perez, through a long line of ster- ling worth and from his mother, Lydia, daughter of Stephen Swift, also a descendant of Puritan forefathers, the subject of this sketch can look back with pride to the foundation of those just principles of life, the application of which, on sea and on land, has secured for him a competence and an unruffled sea in his last days of life's voyage.

P. Foster Butler, eldest son of Patrick and grandson of Patrick Butler, was born in Brewster in 1836. He was a mariner twenty-eight years, and since 1874 has been in the oyster business. He was mar- ried in 1861 to Sarah F., daughter of Gideon Berry. They have one son, Harry L. Mr. Butler is a member of Bourne Methodist Episco- pal church, and steward and trustee in the same.

Joshua G. Cash, born in 1863 in Harwich, is a son of Joshua S. and Margaret.(McCarta) Cash. In March, 1887, he bought a meat route of John Avery, at Pocasset, where he has lived since that time. He was married in December, 1887, to Etta, daughter of Oliver C. Snow.

Thomas F. B. Cook, born in 1828 in Sandwich, is a son of John L. and Lydia A. (Raymond) Cook. He is a machinist by trade, having worked at it since he was seventeen years old. - In November, 1868, he went from Sandwich to Boston, where he has been engaged with the Dennison Manufacturing Company since that time. He built a residence in 1889 at Pocasset, where he intends to make his perma-

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nent home in the near future. He was married in 1850 to Ellen F. Fowler. They have two children: Annie A. and William F. They have lost three children.

Calvin Crowell' was born in 1824, and is the youngest of fifteen children. His paternal ancestors were: Paul®, William‘, Christopher', John3, John2 and John Crowell', who came from England in 1635 and settled at North Dennis in 1639. His mother was Sally Sears6, daugh- ter of Edmund', Edmund', Paul3, Paul? and Richard Sears', who was born in 1591 and died in 1676. Paul Crowell®, born March 27, 1778, removed from Dennis to Sagamore in 1815, where he lived until his death, August 25, 1866, his descendants then numbering 109-chil- dren 8, grandchildren 43, great-grandchildren 57, and great-great- grandchild, 1. Mr. Crowell is a large cranberry grower. He was married in 1857 to Laura A., daughter of Clark Swift. Their children were: Walter L., Emma F. (deceased), Annie F., Frank C., Ada L., Bertha M. (deceased), and Mabelle E.

Hiram Crowell, born in 1822, is the fourteenth child of Paul Crowell® (see above). He is a carpenter by trade. He was in Cuba and other foreign countries several years, and for the last thirty years. he has, in connection with other business, engaged in cranberry cul- ture. He was married in 1850 to Eliza S. Ellis. His second wife was Hepsie C. Harlow, and his present wife was Martha H. Perkins.

Hiram E. Crowell', born in 1839, is a son of Paul', and he a son of Paul Crowell® (see above). His mother was Lydia, daughter of Thomas Ellis. He has been engaged in the cranberry culture for thirty-five years. He was married November 27, 1864, to Hannah L., daughter of Levi Swift. They have four daughters: Lenore, Nettie L., Crystina L. and Sadie M. They have lost three sons.

Alden P. Davis, son of Captain Daniel Davis, a native of Sandown, N. H., was born in Derry, N. H., in 1836. In 1873 he removed from Boston to Cataumet, where he built a summer boarding house -- " The Jachin " -- having capacity for seventy-five guests. He is a merchant, has been station agent since June, 1885, and postmaster since the of- fice was established in 1884. He was married in 1859 to Mary L. Steb- bins of Bradford, Vt. Their children are Mary E., wife of Irving F. Gibbs, and Anna G.

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History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1620-1890, Part 39

Author: Deyo, Simeon L., ed Publication date: 1890 Publisher: New York : Blake Number of Pages: 1292

Author: Deyo, Simeon L., ed
Publication date: 1890
Publisher: New York : Blake
Number of Pages: 1292