USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Milford > History of Milford, Massachusetts, part 2 > Part 40
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Ezra Holbrook's immediate ancestors were of Uxbridge, whence his fr. moved to Swanzey, N.H. Ezra lived in that town and vicinity many yrs., afterwards in Sharon, Mass., then in Roxbury, where Mrs. Sally, his 1st wf., d. in June, 1826. He afterwards went back to New Hampshire, and m., 2d, Submit Field of Winchester, N.H., in 1830. Later he moved to Vienna, N.Y., and finally, in his old age, came to Hopedale, with his 2d wf., into the kind care of his dr. Sarah. She did every thing in her power to ease their passage to a better world. He d. in Mil. Centre, June 30, 1851; and Mrs. Submit at Hope- dale, March 15, 1859.
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HOLMES FAMILIES.
HOLMES, STEPHEN, and wf. Hepsibah ( Wilber), pedigrees untraced, had the following specified births recorded on our books : -
MARY ANN, b. May 10, 1806.
BETSEY, b. April 11, 1808.
WILLIAM GODFREY, b. Sept. 4, 1809.
HANNAH MARIA, b. Nov. 16, 1814.
STEPHEN, jun., b. July 4, 1816.
UTHURSEY, b. Dec. 8, 1817.
ADALINE, b. Aug. 28, 1819.
I can follow this family no further, except in the line of
HOLMES, WILLIAM GODFREY, son of Stephen and Hepsibah (Wilber) Holmes, . b. in Taunton, Sept. 4, 1809; shoemaker ; m. Betsey Ball, dr. of Henry and Betsey (Claflin) Ball, b. in Needham, 1818; cer., date not given, by Rev. Ebenezer F. Newell. Issue :-
OTIS WORTHINGTON, b. Hop., Nov. 26, 1835; m. Ellen M. Claflin, June 16, 1859.
JOHN PARKER, b. Hop., June 18, 1839; d. Aug. 26, 1842.
WILLIAM, h. Hop., -; d. at birth.
OLIVER DEAN, b. Mil., Jan. 21, 1849; m. Lucinda Kemp, May 6, 1869.
WILLIAM MARTIN, b. Mil., June 10, 1851; m. Eliza A. Tobey, Sept. 28, 1870.
Grandchn., all bearing the name Holines, and chn. of the above-named sons :-
John Parker, b. Mil., July 18, 1860.
Otis Worthington, b. Mil., Feb. 6, 1870.
Ellen Claflin, b. Mil., Nov. 5, 1871.
Arthur Sawyer, b. Holl., Oct. 5; 1873.
Clifton Emmons, b. Holl., April 13, 1872; d. May 18, 1872.
Winslow Herrick, b. Holl., Sept. 2, 1875; d. Aug. 6, 1876.
HOLMES, Capt. OTIS WORTHINGTON, son of William G. and Betsey (Ball) Holines, b. Hop., Nov. 26, 1835; m. Ellen Maria Claflin, dr. of James R. and Hannah C. (Farrington) Claflin, b. Holl., 1838; cer. under bride's parental roof, June 16, 1859, by the writer. Issue : -
JOHN PARKER, b. Mil., July 18, 1860; now in his 2d yr. Harvard University. A young man of brilliant promise.
Capt. Holmes gave his life for his country in the late dreadful civil war, - a most lamentable bereavement to his young wf. and family relatives. I have been furnished with a copy of "The American Volunteer" newspaper, dated Boston, March 31, 1866. This contains an obituary memoir of Capt. Holmes. I give this memoir to my readers entire : -
"Capt. Otis W. Holmes was b. in Hopkinton, Mass., Nov. 26, 1835. He was a quiet, thoughtful child; and one would never have seen in the timid, shrinking boy the brave soldier that he came to be.
" At the age of ten years he removed with his parents to Milford, a neigh- boring town, where he resided to the time of his enlistment. In this place were formed the pleasantest associations of his life. At the opening of the Rebellion his patriotism was deeply moved, but not until the early autumn did he feel forced to break away from all the pleasant ties that bound him to home and loving friends. Sept. 9, 1861, he enlisted as a private in Co. B, 25th Mass. Regiment, which was encamped on the agricultural grounds, Worcester. When the non-commissioned officers were elected, he was made fourth sergeant; and the color-sergeant having received an injury the day previous to the departure
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
of the regiment, he served in that capacity until the former was again fit for duty, and proudly bore the noble flag from that shouting yet tearful city.
"Having arrived at Annapolis, Md., the camp of instruction, measures were at once taken to prepare the regiment for active service. At the expira- tion of two months it embarked in the Burnside expedition. Uncomplainingly did he suffer the perils and privations occasioned by the fearful gale off Hatteras. He seemed deeply imbued with the importance of the success of that enterprise. In a letter to a friend he writes: 'I have given my whole heart to the work, and would sooner lose my life than that this expedition should prove a failure.'
" He passed safely through the battles of Roanoke and Newbern, and, while in the latter place, was made first sergeant. Aug. 12, 1862, he was transferred from the 25th to the 36th Mass. Regt., and made first lieutenant of Co. F, at which time he was presented with a sword and equipments from his Milford friends. The regiment was attached to the Ninth Corps, then connected with the army of the Potomac. Early the following spring the corps was detached, and sent to Newport News, for the purpose of recruiting health and spirits, and from thence to Kentucky. May 2, 1863, Lieut. Holmes was made captain of Co. B, - the 'Warren Phalanx,' - of the same regiment.
" During the siege of Vicksburg, the corps was ordered to Mississippi, and suffered severely from the intolerable heat of the climate, and the scarcity of food and water. After the lapse of a few months, having passed through the siege of Knoxville, and suffered the severities of a winter, almost entirely cut off from supplies, we find the corps again with the army of the Potomac, awaiting its participation in the bloody battle-scenes which followed. And most nobly did our hero bear himself through that horrible strife, ever preserv- ing his accustomed cheerfulness, stimulating his comrades with his words of encouragement, half-dispelling, with his pleasant smiles, the gloom enshrouding them.
On the morning of the 17th of June, -on Bunker-Hill day, leading Bun- ker-Hill boys, defending Bunker-Hill principles, - Capt. Holmes fell, mortally wounded, in Gen. Burnside's charge before Petersburg. He was shot in the right lung; the ball, lodging against the spine, produced paralysis of the lower extremities. He survived seven days, and at times his sufferings were most intense. He was taken to Harewood General Hospital, Washington; and, on the evening of the 23d, his soul was released from its suffering and mutilated body.
" He met death, not with fear, but as a friend for whose coming he had previously prepared. From his brother officers have been received tributes of esteem. I quote the following: -
"' The death of Capt. Holmes has filled our regiment with sadness. He was a man of honor, of principle, of cool, far-sighted sagacity. I have seen him in camp, in storm, heat, cold, dust, battle, and pain, in Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and back to Virginia to die; and I have always loved him for his kindness, respected him for his bravery and intelli- gence, admired him, for he was so much a man.'
" Another writes : -
"' It is much to say of an officer that he is cool and brave, equal to any emergency; but it is more to say of him that he is good and pure and true. Capt. Holmes was all of these: brave, as a soldier; pure, as a man. Neither his courage nor his honor was ever questioned. His love of country and love of home were shining traits of his character; and so often have I heard him speak of his home, that to see him there after the return of peace, and in its
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HOLMES, HIOOPER, HOVEY, HOWE.
quiet to live over again our many campaigns, was a hope that I had come to cherish most fondly.'
" A few weeks before his death he was made the recipient of an elegant sword, sash, and belt by his much-loved company; the sword bearing an in- scription which shall tell in future time of the strong arm that once wielded it in defence of justice and liberty.
"When the soldiers' friend, Count Schwabe, heard of the death of this gallant officer, he immediately named several shelves of books in his hospital libraries at Washington and Worcester to the memory of this martyr, and also classed him among his noble fallen ones in his Gallery of Fallen Heroes, and ordered a valuable full life-size bust-painting by the first and eminent artist, Ames, which has just been completed with great success. The friends are delighted with this striking likeness. It is surrounded also by a valuable mili- tary frame. The portrait is one of which Milford forever might be proud as a master-piece of fine art, and a living memento of the fallen captain.
"Through the exertion of Lieut .- Col. Draper, 36th Regiment, the family, the many friends of Milford, and the colonel's own generosity, the funds have been generously raised. The portraits of many other sons of Milford have also been kindly subscribed to by the many friends, and are now in the hands of eminent artists, under the kind care of the count; and in due time we will give notice of each."
Mrs. Ellen grieved herself almost to death at her unspeakable loss. She subsequently m. Harvey Farrington of Philadelphia, Jan. 26, 1869. He has since deceased, and she survives in worthy second widowhood.
HOOPER, THOMAS, and wf. Ann, appear on Rev. Mr. Frost's baptismal records; but I get no intimation whence they came, where they dwelt, or whither they went. Mrs. Ann was bap., and received into the Cong. ch. here, Aug. 7, 1757. And Mr. Frost bap. their 3 chn. as follows : -
LYDIA, JONATHAN, and EZEKIEL, all, May 11, 1760.
HOVEY, WILLIAM, was included in the Easterly Precinct, by its act of incor- poration in 1741, among others then res. in the "standing part " of Mendon, so termed. See " Act of Incorporation " in Chap. IV. Who this William Hovey was, or who composed his family, or in what particular locality he dwelt, I have no information.
HOVEY, SAMUEL, purchased a small homestead in the No. Purchase of Dea. Nathaniel Jones, containing 54 acres, May 26, 1758. See B. 41, p. 366, in · Worcester Registry of Deeds. He owned other pieces of land in the Cor- bett neighborhood. He sold out these lands in 1769 and 1770; the 54-acre lot to Robert Corbett, and a 3}-acre lot to Samuel Wood. He was then of Newtown, N.H. I suppose he must have res. in our Precinct perhaps 20 yı's. I learn nothing of his family. But he was quite famous in his day, as a sort of New-Light lay preacher. See Chap. V., where I treat or " the Come-Outer Schism " which troubled our Cong. ch. from 1748 to 1758. He was then spoken of in the ch. records as "one Hovey," whom some would "set up " as a "lay Teacher." His history is wrapped in obscurity.
HOWE. David Howe is the first of this name that ever dwelt on our terri- tory. His family record has not been ascertained. I presume he had a wf. and chn., which perhaps are certified on Mendon records; but I have not searched to see. In 1721 he purchased the famous Benjamin Alby corn-mill establish- ment, etc., now mostly owned by Lewis B. Gaskill. He bought it of James and Bridget (Jones) Wood, who had it of Benjamin Wheelock & Sons in a dilap-
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
idated condition, and had put it in prime order, with additions and improve- ments, for grain-grinding and clothier operations. In the deed he took, he is styled "David Howe of Weymouth, clothier." He ran the establishment till Aug. 24, 1730, and then, for £500, sold it, with all its appurtenances, utensils, and materials, to "William Sheffield, jun., of Holliston, husbandman." This is all that I can say of David Howe.
HOWE, GEORGE, said to be a descendant of John Howe, who came from
Eng., set. at Watertown, then at Sudbury, and then at Marlboro', where he was killed by the Indians during King Philip's war; ptge., not given; b. Paxton, Sept. 12, 1791; m. Lydia Perry, dr. of Elihu and Lydia (Day) Perry, b. Mil., July 27, 1795; cer. Oct. 22, 1818, by Rev. David Long. Their chn. : -
NAMELESS INFANT, b. date not given.
AURELIA PERRY, b. June 26, 1821; m. Moses K. Glines, Nov. 25, 1847. LAURETTE NEWTON, b. May 9, 1824; m. Stephen B. Richardson, June, 1849. GEORGE ELIHU, b. Nov. 25, 1834; d. June 1, 1866, unm.
Mr. Howe and family dwelt on what is now called Purchase St., the present residence of his dr., Mrs. Aurelia P. Glines. He was our first manufacturer of boot and shoe pegs. I recollect him as one of my worthy parishioners when I first came into town, - an ingenious, quiet, industrious, honest citizen, with a wf. of corresponding qualities. He d. Sept. 12, 1845. Mrs. Lydia, his respected wid., d. July 16, 1870. They left living 2 chn., 3 grandchn., and 1 gt. grand- child. Their dr. Aurelia P. m. Moses K. Glines of Northfield, N.H., who res. in New York City as his business home; though Mrs. G. makes the family country home where her parents dwelt, as aforesaid. Their chn. :-
GEORGE EUGENE, b. May 8, 1849; m. Lucinda Earl, New York, May 26, 1868; 2 chn., 1 living.
ISAAC HERBERT, b. July 3, 1853; d. March 11, 1866.
Laurette N., the other dr., m. Stephen B. Richardson of East Medway, and they have had, -
JANE LIZZIE, b. Oct. 27, 1847.
CHARLES ADDISON, d. at the age of 9 mos.
NAMELESS INFANT, that immediately d.
LAURA ALICE, b. Feb. 19, 1859.
I make grateful acknowledgment to Mrs. Aurelia P. Glines, who was among the first of a comparatively small number to respond to my call, through "The Milford Journal," for old documents and family records. She furnished mne promptly with valuable data concerning Mordecai Day's and Elihu Perry's family connections and descendants, including those of her uncle, Dr. Peck, and her own father. If I had received more such favors, my task would have been easier.
HOWE, GEORGE WASHINGTON; currier; ancestry not given; son of Perley and Asenath (Perry) Howe; b. in Natick, Aug. 30, 1817; m. Betsey Corbett Perry, dr. of Josiah and Anna (Corbett) Perry, b. Mil., March 20, 1818; cer. in Mendon, May 23, 1841, by the writer. Their chn. :-
ANNA ASENATH, b. May 26, 1844; m. Perry Allen Lindsey, June 30, 1863. ELLEN LYDIA, b. Nov. 26, 1849; res. in the parental home.
BETSEY GEORGIETTA, b. March 25, 1859; d. Aug. 9, 1859.
Grandchn. : -
GEORGE WILLIAM LINDSEY, b. Mil., May 17, 1864.
FRANK ALLEN LINDSEY, b. Boston, May 4, 1866.
831
HOWE, HOWLAND, HUMPHREY.
BETSEY AUGUSTA, b. Boston, April 2, 1868.
A family of very commendable reputation in all the relations of life. Mrs. Betsey d., after a long and painful decline, July 11, 1881, in her 64th yr.
HOWE, STEADMAN W., formerly res. in town ; but both he and his wf. have passed away, and I cannot give their family record.
There have been a few others of the name, more or less transient dwellers among us. I see in our latest directory the name, -
HOWE, EDWARD W., tin-pedler, house Prospect St., near Main. But I have not obtained his family record. I think he is a son of Steadman W. Howe above named. The full family record ought to have appeared here.
HOWLAND, JOHN, from Hudson, N. Y .; pedigree untraced; m. Amanda M. Waldron, dr. of John and Elizabeth Waldron, b. Sept. 24, 1797; cer. in Mil., July 7, 1822, by Rev. D. Long. Issue : -
AMANDA H. P., b. July 5, 1824; untraced.
HARRIET N., b. Sept. 9, 1826; untraced.
JOHN AMMI, b. April 3, 1833; bootmaker, res. in town.
HOWLAND, NATHANIEL, and wf. Hannah P., pedigrees untraced, are cred- ited with John, b. July 12, 1798; perhaps the John previously named. This John d. Aug. 18, 1834. HUMPHREY. This has been a scarce name in our town. I understand there were, at one time, two William H. Humphreys here, who experienced considerable inconvenience on account of the misdelivery of their letters, their address being the same. But only William H. Humphrey of Hopedale remained permanently among us. His family record alone is at my command. As nearly as I can trace his descent, his immigrant ancestor was Jonas, from Wendover, Bucks Co., Eng., a tanner, who settled in Dorchester in 1634. He had a son Jonas; he a son Samuel, who had, besides other chn., Samuel and Josiah. These two sons set. in that part of Rehoboth, or rather Swanzey, which became a part of Barrington, R.I. They were citizens of very considerable note among their contemporaries, and intrusted with important municipal offices. Samuel had a son Samuel; and he a son John, the father of our William H. So the record of the last-named stands thus : -
HUMPHREY, WILLIAM HENRY 7 (John,6 Samuel,5 Samuel,4 Samuel,3 Jonas,2
Jonas 1), b. Barrington, R.I., Oct. 29, 1805; mr.'s maiden name, Elizabeth Bullock ; a carpenter by trade; m. Almira Brown of Cumberland, R.I., dr. of Jonathan and Amey (Arnold, Sheldon) Brown, b. March 11, 1810; cer. at Central Falls, R.I., Aug. 29, 1831, by Rev. George Taft. Their chn. :- ALMIRA, b. Millbury, date not given ; d. in infancy.
ELIZABETH BULLOCK, b. Millbury, May 13, 1841; our excellent artistic de- signer.
ADELIA, b. Millbury, date not given ; d. in infancy.
WILLIAM LLOYD, b. Millbury, date not given ; d. in infancy.
WILLIAM AUGUSTUS, b. Milbury, date not given; d. in infancy.
The parents came from Millbury to Hopedale, May 1, 1849, and soon after- wards became devoted members of the Community. They won the full con- fidence of their fellow-members, and held our highest official trusts. They have remained faithful to their professed principles down to the present time; still members of the suspended Community, and he its final president. It is enough to say that this family belong among our most exemplary people. The only surviving dr., Lizzie B. Humphrey, is worthy of her parentage. Besides her sterling moral character, she is, by genius, and a thorough education in the Cooper Institute School of Design, an eminently successful artist.
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
A worthy sister of William H. was at one time a member of our Com- munity; viz., LOUISA HUMPHREY. She was b. in Barrington, R.I., during the yr. 1800, and d. at Hopedale, June 12, 1869.
Some time after the foregoing had been written, Mrs. Almira B. Humphrey departed this life, Nov. 7, 1880, a. 70 yrs. 7 mos. 27 ds. She suffered a gradual decline, and d. a tranquil death, in full assurance of the life everlasting. Her funeral was honored, on Wednesday, Nov. 10, with well-deserved and appro- priate demonstrations of commemorative affection.
HUNT. The first family of this name that became inhabitants on our territory was that of Ebenezer, jun. They came from Holl. about 1756, or perhaps a little prior. If I am correctly informed, they set. in the easterly or north-easterly part, probably in the Bear-hill district. He belonged to what is called the "Concord line" of Hunts. As there is a large, comprehensive, and elaborate genealogy of the Hunts, from which I have borrowed frequently in this part of my Register, and to which all persons interested can refer for full information concerning particulars outside of my present scope, I shall be excused for omitting some introductory facts otherwise necessary to insert. The published work is entitled, "GENEALOGY OF THE NAME AND FAMILY OF HUNT, early established in America from Europe : exhibiting Pedigrees of Ten Thousand Persons ; enlarged by Religious and Historical Readings ; enriched with Indices of Names and Places. Authorized by W. L. G. HUNT. Compiled by T. B. WYMAN, JR. Boston : Printed by John Wilson and Son, 5 Water St., 1862-63." I may therefore proceed at once with my tabulations.
HUNT, EBENEZER, Jun.5 (Ebenezer,4 Isaac,' Isaac,2 William 1 of Concord,
immigrant from Eng.), b. Holl., April 15, 1735; m. Deliverance Newton, Oct. 30, 1755; received into our Cong. ch., July 18, 1756. Issue : -
THOMAS, b. May 8, 1756.
JOSEPH, b. Nov. 22, 1757.
JONATHAN, b. Dec. 26, 1759.
DELIVERANCE, b. Nov. 16, 1761.
DOROTHY, b. Oct. 27, 1763.
JOAZANIAH, b. Oct. 21, 1768.
The parents were dismissed to the ch. in Rutland, Dec. 16, 1764, and res. afterwards in Paxton. No further traced.
HUNT, DANIEL 5 (Abidah,4 Isaac,3 Isaac,2 William 1 of Concord), first cousin to Ebenezer, jun., b. also in Holl., Sept. 17, 1743; m., 1st, Mary Daniels, May 30, 1765; cer. by Rev. A. Frost. She was a dr. of Jasper and Keziah Daniels, Mil. Precinct, b. March 17, 1745-46. Their chn. were, -
JASPER DANIELS, b. Nov. 3, 1766; m. Ede Corbett; no further traced. MARY, b. Dec. 1, 1768; d. about 8 days after birth.
The date of Mrs. Mary's death not ascertained. He in., 2d, Mary Phillips, April 5, 1769. According to the " Hunt Genealogy," she was a dr. of Ebenezer Phillips of Grafton, and gd. dr. of Rev. Ebenezer Phillips, a Bap. minister; and was b. March 7, 1749. I have been unable to trace her pedigree to complete satisfaction. Issue :-
PEARLEY, b. May 20, 1771; merchant, justice peace, and influential citizen. MARY, b. 1773; d. Sept. 10, 1775.
JOSEPH, b. Sept. 12, 1774; set. in Upton; a farmer; and reared a large family.
MARY, alias POLLY, b. July 7, 1776; m., 1st, Thomas Warren; 2d, Nathan White of Medway.
Pearly Hunt
HELIOTYPE PRINTING CO., BORTON.
833
HUNT FAMILIES.
EBENEZER, b. July 12, 1778; res. mostly in Mil. ; an early woollen manu- facturer.
ADAM, b. April 1, 1780; d. Jan. 18, 1796, in his 16th yr.
JOEL, b. Nov. 25, 1782; res., 1st, in Mil. ; later, an influential citizen of Med.
ABIGAIL, b. Oct. 7, 1784; d. Jan. 9, 1796.
PHILLIPS, b. July 11, 1786; d. an enterprising young man in Norfolk, Va., Sept. 14, 1808.
MOSES, b. April 13, 1788; grad. H. U., 1811; d. law-student, Roxbury, Oct. 14, 1814.
EZRA, b. April 7, 1790; grad. H. U., 1815; eminent lawyer and judge in Missouri.
The fr. bought a farm of 147 acres in that part of No. Purchase called Bungay, previously owned by Joseph Jones, jun. The deed bears date March 22, 1781, which indicates probably the yr. in which the purchaser came into the then newly-incorporated town from Holl. He seems to have been an enter- prising, provident, and worthy citizen. But he was not long spared to his rising family, having d. Feb. 2, 1801, in his 58th yr. His wf. left an excellent name and memory. She m., as 2d hus., Joseph Hunting of Mil., Jan. 17, 1804; cer. by Samuel Jones, Esq. She d. March 22, 1820.
HUNT, PEARLEY, Esq.6 (Daniel,5 Abidah,4 Isaac,3 Isaac,2 William 1), b. May 20, 1771; in. Chloe Albee, May 10, 1795, in the old Cong. meeting-house; cer. by Amariah Frost, Esq. She was a dr. of Seth and Rebecca Albee of Mil., and b. July 24, 1774. Her fr. d. while she was yet an infant, and her mr. had m. Lieut. Joseph Gibbs. The chn. of Pearley and Chloe (Albee) Hunt were, -
INFANT DR., b. April 17, 1796; d., unnamed, soon after birth.
HIRAM, b. June 26, 1808; long an enterprising merchant and citizen.
LUCY, b. Oct. 31, 1810; m. the writer of this History, March 3, 1830.
LEONARD, b. June 16, 1812; well known to our citizens generally.
CHLOE ALBEE, b. Feb. 22, 1815; d. unm., Dec. 2, 1834.
DIANA, b. March 16, 1817; m. Stephen Cook, Oct. 17, 1835.
The fr. entered on the responsibilities of adult life in comparatively humble circumstances, but with superior natural abilities, aptitudes, and qualifications to make a respectable niark in society. He had both taste and tact for trade. He commenced with a small variety store in a building hired of Col. Benjamin Godfrey, adjacent to the old common. This was, perhaps, as early as 1795 or 1796. Economy was then of urgent importance, and he managed to find comfortable tenement quarters for himself and his prudent wf. under the same roof with his goods. He was not ashamed to testify in his prosperity how properly and happily he commenced domestic life, in contrast with the vainly ambitious youngsters of the succeeding generations. He used to say, that, in the outset of trade, he made it a point to stock his store with really useful articles, and to recommend them to his customers as preferable to showy ones of less value. "But," said he, "I soon found that most people loved to be pleased rather than well used." His establishment presently became famous for its large assortment and variety of articles ; so that it got to be a common say- ing among the inhabitants, "You can't call for any thing at Hunt's but what he has on land." As he grew into a still larger business, this striking char- acteristic grew more prominent to the end of his career, perhaps not always to his pecuniary profit. In the spring of 1798 he bought of David Stearns the Ebenezer Sumner house with an acre of land, situated on the north side of
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BIOGRAPHICO-GENEALOGICAL REGISTER.
now Main St., near the Charles-river Bridge and mill-pond; also other small pieces in the near vicinity, on the opposite side of the st., where afterwards he built his somewhat unique mansion, still standing. On removing to what came to be called the lower village, he provided himself with ample accommodations for a store, the same afterwards occupied by Capt. Sylvester Dean, to whom he mainly sold out after taking up his res. across the st. As his means increased, he began to purchase outlying real estate, and ultimately became a considerable landholder. Meantime he was intrusted with the principal town-offices, and, later, represented it several yrs. in Gen. Ct. He and Esq. John Claflin, jun., seemed to grow up into public influence together; the latter being in several instances the close official successor to the former. They are said to have been quite intimate and cordial friends in the earlier portion of their advancement. They were active Freemasons in lodge and chapter. Hunt was early master of Charity Lodge (then in Mendon, but afterwards removed to Mil.), and Claflin immediately succeeded him. The former was the first capt. of the long popular Mil. Artillery Co., and the latter the second. The former became Maj. of Artillery, and the latter his next successor. And so it was generally in politi- cal, municipal, and civil affairs. It was not till 1819, or thereabouts, when the sharp division of our citizens into town and parish parties took place, that these old friends became rival and hostile partisan leaders. The contentions of those days estranged, for a time, many that had been long friends.
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