History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 110

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1538

USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 110

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In 1838, being an active member of the old Whig party, Mr. Davis was elected Representative to the General Court, and soon after the formation of our city government was elected to the Council. In 1852, '53, '56 and '57 he was president of the Common Council. It was in 1859 and 1860 that he was called to fill the mayor's chair, and down to the last date had been six years ex-officio member of the school committee. In 1834 he was commissioned as a notary public, and in 1837 as a justice of the peace, which last office he now fills.

In his religions views Mr. Davis has, from his youth, been a consistent Episcopalian ; and that church is in- debted to him, probably, more than to any other, for its establishment in this place. From the organization in 1834, until the present time, he has continued to manifest his devotion to her by labor and by pecuniary contribution, and in the parish of St. Stephen's still continues in an important official position.

During his administration as mayor several pro- jects of public interest were accomplished. The city debt was funded; the first street railroad located ; the more systematic grading of the public schools commenced; and the substitution of brick school-

houses for those of wood decided on-two of the former material being erected while he was in office. But perhaps the most notable, at least the most stir- ring event, was the great shoemakers' strike, which commenced in February, 1860. No occurrence of the kind in this part of the country, probably, ever before created such a sensation. The whole country seemed to have their eyes momentarily turned on Lynn, and through the daily journals and illustrated weeklies her travail was magnified to an extent far beyond what was dreamed of in her own borders. Neverthe- less, it was a serious affair, and required the exercise of prudence and coolness in its management. The city was in a ferment for some seven weeks; proces- sions were frequently moving along the streets; large meetings were held ; and the drum could be heard at almost any hour. After all, however, there was little actual violence committed. The object of the strikers was the same that is common in all such movements, namely, the obtaining of more adequate remunera- tion for labor; and perhaps, on the whole, the occur- rence was not injurious to the general interests of the place. During this disturbance Mayor Davis, by his prudence, foresight and forbearance, often exercised against the strong urgency of those in favor of more forcible measures, probably saved the city from the odium of violence, and himself and friends from last- ing regrets.

The habits of Mr. Davis were somewhat retiring, and he may be said to lead the life of a thinker quite as much as that of an actor. Having a taste for literature, he has collected, doubtless, the largest and most valuable private library in the city ; and among his books he spends many pleasant and studious hours. He has also collected a variety of interesting objects of fine art. Agreeable manners, intelligence and freedom from low prejudices mark his daily walk; and few can spend many hours in his society and not feel improved.

In 1836 he married Elvira, daughter of Captain Nathaniel and Martha (Chadwell) Newhall, both be- longing to old Lynn families, but has no children.

Mr. Davis took great pride in the Lynn Public Library, and rendered to it valuable service. He was first elected trustee in 1878, and in 1880 became chairman of the board, which position he held ontil his death. He was a member of the Historic Genea- logical Society, and of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, in both of which institutions he manifested a lively interest. His acquaintance with public men, authors, artists, clergymen and politicians, was quite extended, and his correspondence very large. It is said he preserved a copy of every letter he has written for half a century. His death, though not unexpected, will be most sincerely regretted, not only in his native city but by many in distant places. It may be said of him that all his acquaintances were his friends, and the death of such a man is felt as a loss by the whole community.

Engraved by James R. Pave & Sons. Phil

Stephen of Breed

Auch Newhall

359

LYNN.

Mr. Davis died at his residence on Summer Street, August 7, 1887, after a long and painful illness.

STEPHEN N. BREED.

The subject of this memoir was one of Lynn's most honest citizens. He was a man of sterling integrity of character, independent in his habits of thought, and fearless, though not ostentatious, in the utter- ance of his opinions, whether those opinions had re- ceived the stamp of public approval, or whether their advocacy subjected him to the adverse criticism of the majority.

He naturally, therefore, took kindly to the reforms of the day, carefully discriminating between the nar- row and visionary schemes of so-called reformers, and those measures of social improvement that base their demands upon the principles of justice that appeal to man's uncorrupted moral sense. His wide reading had taught him that majorities were often wrong, and that of necessity reform must begin with the minor- ity. Whatever such a view cost him, he was willing to bear.

Accordingly he was found in the ranks of the abolitionists when to be such made men sneer and raise the cry of fanatic. While he well knew that the world would not hear too much reform at once, he realized that such an essential villainy as human slavery struck at the fundamental rights of man. Therefore he was a Garrisonian abolitionist, though never standing on the extreme non-voting ground ; being a decided Whig in his early years, and later an earnest supporter of the Republican party. No com- promise must be made with slavery, no toleration must be given to it, nothing but its destruction would meet the demands of justice.

Mr. Breed was a member of the old Silsbee Street Debating Society, so famous in our local annals, and occasionally took part in the debates ; but he usually preferred to listen. He had a fine sense of humor, and though undemonstrative in its manifestation, the few who knew him well saw how clearly he perceived the incongruities which lie at the root of man's hu- morous instincts, and how keenly he appreciated any demonstrations that presented the witty side of hu- man nature. He was a genial, instructive compan- ion. . His tenacious memory furnished him with a storehouse of facts and reminiscences running back to the early years of the century.

Mr. Breed was born and bred in the Quaker com- munion, but in early life became a regular attendant at the Unitarian Church just then organized, until the establishment of the Free Church, when he at- tended the ministry of Samuel Johnson. In the later years of his life he again attended the Unitarian Church. He never dogmatized in matters of religion, feeling assured that there were many things concern- ing it which he did not know, and many more about which there was more or less uncertainty.

His prudent habits and sound judgment gave him marked success in business. He took charge of the lumber trade established by his father-an industry then in its infancy-and laid the foundations of what became in after years, with the aid of his sons, one of the most extensive retail lumber establishments in New England, yielding its owner an ample fortune. He was a man of strict business integrity, and he will be long remembered by the multitude of his patrons, for the unpretending kindness of his manners, and for his leniency when misfortune made them his debtors.

Mr. Breed was a son of James and Phebe (Nichols) Breed, and was born in 1806. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Frederick and Betsey Breed, and had six children, viz .: Mary Elizabeth, James F., Albert H., Harriet M., Stephen F. and Ella F. Of these four are living, viz. : James F., Albert H., Stephen F. and Harriet M., now Mrs. Walcott. Mr. Breed died April 8, 1886.

ISAAC NEWHALL,

One of Lynn's prominent and widely-known citizens, was born January 4, 1814, and died February 22, 1879. He was a native of Lynn and of Quaker par- entage, his mother being one of the eminent preach- ers of that denomination.

Mr. Newhall was greatly instrumental in advanc- ing the welfare and prosperity of the city, and was at all times interested in the municipal affairs of the city, being a member of the Board of Aldermen in 1851 and 1875 ; aud the present success of many institu- tions and enterprises in Lynn is due to his indefat- igable efforts, particularly the building of the Lynn City Street Railway, of which he was a director.

He was a man of indomitable will and persever- ance. He was singularly constituted as a business man, and pursued an independent course, apparently regardless of public opinion. He had decided opin- ions and was not inclined to court the good opinion or the favor of only his intimate friends, apparently conrting opposition, and he seemed to take great pleasure in combating public sentiment. In public and local affairs he interested himself earnestly, hav- ing filled various public positions, rarely going with the current, at times advocating sentiments adverse to those expected from a man of his comprehension and intelligence.

He was unostentatious, while frugality and abstemiousness characterized him through life, and his faith in the future welcomed the end. He early engaged in the shoe business and became one of Lynn's largest and successful manufacturers. Later still, after machinery became necessary, he kept up with the progress of the age, until, becoming largely interested in real estate operations, he gradu- ally left the shoe business, occasioned, no doubt, by failing health, suffering intensely from neuralgia,

360

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

which no medical or surgical skill could alleviate. The last few weeks of his life were weeks of intense suffering, which he bore with remarkable patience and Christian resignation. No complaint would fall from his lips.

Mr. Newhall was twice married. He left a widow and five children.

JAMES M. NYE, M.D.

The old town of Salisbury, one of the most historic sections of the Commonwealth, has been prolific in the number of her sons who have attained honorable and leading positions among their fellow-men. Such an one is the subject of this sketch-Dr. James M. Nye.

Dr. Nye came to Lynn in 184I and established him- self in the practice of his profession, which he con- tinned with marked success until his death. He was ever alive to the interests of his adopted city, and all measures tending to advance its welfare found in him an earnest advocate. His genial disposition, large sympathies and acknowledged skill in his profession, soon gained him an extensive practice, and his be- nevolence was plainly manifest in the large numbers of poor people whom he attended professionally, re- ceiving no compensation except that arising from the inner consciousness of having performed a charity pleasing to himself and in accordance with the divine teachings of which he was, through life, a consistent follower.

Dr. Nye manifested a deep interest in educational matters and served for several years, with ability and honor, upon the school-board of Lynn, resigning his position only when compelled to by the pressure of his professional duties. His interest in matters of education was not alone confined to Lynn, but ex- tended to the freedmen of the South, for whom he supported several teachers during the last years of his life.

Dr. Nye was a consistent Christian, and during his residence of thirty-one years in Lynn he was one of the most prominent members of the First Baptist Church, and an earnest worker in its behalf. He was superintendent of the Sunday-school and clerk of the society for a long period. Modest and unassuming in his disposition, strictly moral in his character, up- right in his dealings with others, he left the example of a true Christian gentleman, and died one of Lynn's most esteemed and honored citizens.

Dr. Nye was born September 26, 1818, and died April 21, 1872. He married Hannah C. Peaslce, of Newton, N. Il., June 29, 1842, who still survives him.

JOIN B. ALLEY.

John B. Alley belongs to one of the oldest Essex County families, and is descended from Hugh Alley, who, with his brother John, settled in Lynn in 1634.

Hugh Alley was a farmer, and exhibited the same energy, activity and shrewdness which have charac- terized his descendents. He is believed to have been the first to take up land, and settle on it, in that part of Lynn which is now Nahant. The grandfather and great-grandfather of Mr. Alley inherited from their ancestor a desire for the possession of land, and were the largest owners of that kind of property in Lynn. John Alley, the father of Mr. Alley, and son of Hugh Alley, lived in Lynn, as did all his ancestors, and was a thriving business man. He married Mercy, daughter of Jonathan Buffum, of Salem, and sister of the late Jonathan Buffum, of Lynn, who for many years was one of its honored and distinguished citizens. Mr. Alley was born in Lynn January 7, 1817, and at- tended the public schools of that town. At the age of fourteen he was apprenticed to a shoe manufac- turer, and at nineteen received the gift of his time. At this early age he displayed those habits of industry and fidelity which have marked every step of his successful career. Possessing by nature a clear head, a cool temperament, a sound intellect and a good judgment, he knew that to succeed in life, industry and fidelity were the only remaining requisites for success.

Immediately, or soon, after the close of his appren- ticeship he went to Cincinnati, and there purchased a flat-boat, which he loaded with merchandise and carried to New Orleans. In so young a man the en- terprise. and skill essential to profitable results in such an undertaking are unusual. But they were possessed by Mr. Alley, and it may be truly said that the fruits of this expedition, with the lesson of self- reliance which it taught him, laid the foundation of the fortune, which he has since acquired.

At the age of twenty-one he returned to Lynn and began the manufacture of shoes. In five years, at the age of twenty-six, he was the owner of one of the largest enterprises in a city full of active, bold, shrewd men, with whom he had entered on a race for wealth. In 1847 he established a house in Boston for the sale of hides and leather, and was the ac- knowledged peer of the most successful men in the trade. At various times he has been the senior part- ner in the firm of Alley, Choate & Cummings, the firm of John B. Alley & Co., in which Griffin Place, an able and successful man, was the partner, and more recently in the firm of Alley Bros. & Place, in which the two sons of Mr. Alley and Mr. Place were the partners. In 1886 this last firm was dissolved, and after a business career of forty-eight years Mr. Alley retired, leaving with his former partners a special capital for the continuance of the business. IIe is now absent on a European tour, enjoying his first vacation in a life of seventy years, free from the hurdens and responsibilities of a business which re- quired his constant and conscientious attention and care.

But Mr. Alley may be said to have led two lives.

James M. Ayer

John B Alley

Metropolitan Rule _ig & Engine. . . New Tork

Edirne Pawhall

361

LYNN.

Aside from his legitimate career as a merchant, he has always felt a deep interest in public affairs, and in large operations involving heavy responsibilities, requiring heroic courage, and promotive of the wel- fare and growth of the country. In his earlier years, before the birth of what was called the Free-Soil party, in 1848, he was attached to the Liberty party, imbibing as he did from the Society of Friends, with which his father was associated, anti-slavery senti- ments, which never abated until, by the proclamation of President Lincoln, the slave was made free. At the Presidential election in 1848, when Martin Van Buren and Charles Francis Adams were the Free-Soil candi- dates for President and Vice-President, he was one of the candidates for electors on the Free-Soil ticket. In 1851, during the administration of Governor Bout- well, he was one of the Executive Council. In 1852 he was in the State Senate, serving as chairman of the Committee on Railroads. In 1853 he was a mem- ber of the Constitutional Convention, and for several years was an active aud influential member of the Republican State Central Committee. In 1858 he was chosen Representative to Congress, serving four terms, during two of which he performed with indus- try and ability the duties of chairman of the Commit- tee on Post-Offices and Post-Roads. His service in Congress covered the whole period of the war, and no man of the Massachusetts delegation was more de- voted and faithful to public duties. His speeches, though not frequent, were well-timed and always clear, well-expressed, strong and persuasive. Those more worthy than others of mention were a speech delivered on the 30th of April, 1860, vindicating the Republican party, one delivered on the 26th of Janu- ary, 1861, on public affairs, one delivered January 23, 1862, on the State of the Union, and one on the 6th of February of the same year, on the Treasury Note Bill.

Mr. Alley was one of the first to appreciate the re- markable qualities of John A. Andrew. Mr. Andrew had been a member of the House of Representative of Massachusetts in the winter of 1860, and was little known by the people at large until, in the latter part of the session, Caleb Cushing, who was a member, took occasion, in a speech as remarkable for beauty of dic- tion and powerful logic as for its peculiar spirit and sentiment, to arraign the Republican party for a want of loyalty to the Union. As when Hayne delivered his eloquent speech in the Senate of the United States, and Massachusetts men wondered how and by whom he would be answered, so the Republican mem- bers of the Legislature listened with amazement to this Democratic champion, and though they knew he must be answered, they knew not from whose lips the answer would come. But they were not doomed to be disappointed. After the recess at the noonday hour John A. Andrew rose, as Webster rose in the Senate, with the assured air of defiance on his brow, but with his clansmen full of doubt. But the power

and eloquence were in him, and the time had for the first time come for their full display. It is sufficient to say that with a triumphant oratory rarely heard Mr. Cushing was answered, and the party of which from that time John A. Andrew was the champion was nobly vindicated. In the autumn of that year he was chosen Governor of the commonwealth, and in defending from attacks made on the floor of Con- gress, Mr. Alley said, in his speech of January, 1861 : " Massachusetts has had twenty-one Governors since the adoption of her State Constitution, in 1780, all of them able and distinguished, some of them illustrious, but in everything which constitutes true greatness of character and mind, not one among them all, in my judgment, was the superior of John A. Audrew."

This encomium, as extravagant as it seemed at the time, showed Mr. Alley to possess an insight into character then shared by few, so far as Andrew was concerned, and his words have been more than vindi- cated in the universal judgment of men.

Since the retirement of Mr. Alley from Congress he has been engaged with others in large railroad enter- prises in the West and South. His connection with the Union Pacific is well known, and since the com- pletion of that gigantic undertaking he has been more especially interested in railroad extensions in Iowa and Texas. Mr. Alley is one of that body of courageous men to whose capital the country is in- debted for the development of a vast section, which, without facilities of travel and transportation, would be still looking to the future for its prosperity and wealth. Nor has the investment of his capital been confined to railroads. He has become also largely connected with land property in New Mexico, and is to-day the largest owner in three ranches which to- gether contain more than forty thousand head of cattle. It is needless to say that he is a very wealthy man, and that his wealth is exceeded by that of few in the State.'

EDWARD NEWHALL.

Edward Newhall, son of John and Delia (Breed) Newhall, was born in Lynn, July 22, 1822. His family belonged to the society of Friends, and his early education was received at the Friends' Institute, in Providence. In 1845 he began the study of medi- cine under Dr. C. H. Nichols, since distinguished as the superintendent of the Bloomingdale Lunatic Asylum, in the city of New York. He afterwards entered the Harvard Medical School, from which he graduated in 1848. The next two years he spent in Europe attending lectures and walking the hospitals in Paris and as a student in the famons Lying-in Hospital of Dublin. Iu 1850 he returned home and settled in Lynn, where his thorough medical educa- tion and devotion to his profession soon secured to him a wide reputation and practice. He is held in no less esteem by his professional brethren than by the community in which he lives, and has been presi-

233

362

HISTORY OF ESSEX COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

dent of both the Essex South Medical Society and the Lynn Medical Association.

He married, October 23, 1853, Eliza F. Beaumont, of Canton, Mass., who died in June, 1870, having been the mother of three sons and one daughter. In 1873 he married Mrs. M. A. (Field) Saunderson, of Quincy, Mass., by whom he had two sons and a daughter. Dr. Newhall, now sixty five years of age, is still possessed of a physical and mental vigor which years have not impaired, and he neither seeks nor needs any relaxation from his continuous and arduous professional work.

His second son, Herbert William, A.M., M.D. (Harv.), is associated with him in practice.

EDWARD WINSLOW HINCKS.

Edward Winslow Hincks was born in Bucksport, Me., May 30, 1830. He was the son of Captain Eli- sha Hincks, who was born in Provincetown, Mass., September 28, 1800, and who was lost at sea January 14, 1831. In 1802 the father of Elisha removed with his family to Buckstown (now Bucksport), and there Elisha was brought up, and married, October . 9, 1824, Elizabeth Hopkins, daughter of Ephraim and Hannah (Rich) Wentworth, of Orrington, Me., and had the following children : Temperance Ann, April 23, 1826; Elisha Albert, May 1, 1828; Edward Wins- low, May 30, 1830.

The father of Elisha was Elisha Hincks, who was born in Truro, Mass., July 14, 1774, and died in North Bucksport, Me., March 15, 1851. In early life he followed the sea, but in April, 1802, he, with his family and brothers, Winslow and Jesse, removed from Provincetown, where they then lived, to Bucks- town (now Bucksport), Me. There he bought wild land, which he cleared and improved, and on which he died. He married first, in March, 1796, Temper- ance, daughter of Sylvanus and Hannah (Cole) Smith, of Eastham, Mass., and had Anna, born in Provincetown January 11, 1797. He married second, December 22, 1799, Mary, daughter of Nathaniel and Anna (Rich) Treat, of Truro, and had Elisha, Septem- ber 28, 1800 ; Temperance Smith, born in Bucksport June 24, 1803; Mary, July 30, 1805; Sarah, January 30, 1807; William Treat, March 30, 1809; Sylvanus Treat, November 21, 1810; Hannah, August 5, 1812; Naomi, May 16, 1816; Ezekiel Franklin, August 10, 1820.

The father of the last Elisha was Samuel Hinckes, who was born in Portsmouth, N. H., about 1728, and shortly removed with his father to Boston, and there lived until 1753. He afterwards taught school in Truro, where he married, about 1756, Susanna, daughter of Jonathan Dyer, of Truro, and where he continued to live until 1795, when he removed to Bucksport, and there died in 1806.

The father of Samuel was Captain Samuel Hinckes, who was born in Portsmouth, N. H., at an unknown

date, and graduated at Harvard in 1701. In 1716, while a resident in Portsmouth, he was sent as a Representative of the province of New Hampshire to the Indians at the eastward, was a captain in the In- dian wars and commanded Fort Mary, at Winter Har- bor, from 1722 to 1727, when he removed to Boston. He died in Portsmouth shortly after 1753. He mar- ried Elizabeth (Winslow) Scott, a widow, previous to 1715. Elizabeth Winslow was a daughter of Edward and Elizabeth (Hutchinson) Winslow, and grand- daughter of John Winslow, who married Mary Chil- ton, one of the passengers in the " Mayflower".

The father of the last Samuel was John Hinckes, who came from England about 1670, who was Coun- cilor for the province of New Hampshire and assis- tant in the Court of Chancery from 1683 to May 25, 1686, when he became a Councilor in the govern- ment of President Joseph Dudley, having heen named for the office by James the Second, in his commission to Dudley, dated October 8, 1685. He was also chief justice of the Court of Pleas and General Sessions in New Hampshire from 1686 to 1689. In 1692 he was named as Councilor of New Hampshire and made president of the Council. In 1699 he was appointed chief justice of the Superior Court, and remained in office as Councilor and chief justice until 1708. He was living in New Castle, N. H., in 1722, and had de- ceased April 25, 1734. He married, at an unknown date, Elizabeth, daughter of Nathaniel and Chris- tian Fryer, and had Samuel, a daughter who married a Gross, Christian, Barbara, Sarah and probably Elizabeth.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Essex County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 110

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1 Publication date: 1888 Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1538

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton), ed. n 85042884-1
Publication date: 1888
Publisher: Philadelphia : J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1538