USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > New Bedford > History of New Bedford, Volume III > Part 23
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The Cliffords of New Bedford trace their descent from George Clif- ford, who came from Nottinghamshire to Boston in 1644, bringing wife Elizabeth and son John. In female line descent is also traced to Thomas Mayhew, Governor of Martha's Vineyard, and from Myles Standish, Plymouth's military leader. George Clifford and his son, John Clifford, were of Boston, but John (2) Clifford, of the third generation, settled in Hampton, married Sarah Godfrey, and their son, Jacob Clifford, married Elizabeth Mayhew, and also lived in Hampton. Jacob and Elizabeth Clifford had a son, Jacob (2) Clifford, a posthumous child, born May 11, 1715, who married Bathsheba Skiff. they the parents of Jacob (3) Clif- ford, who founded the family in Providence, Rhode Island. He married
Elizabeth -, of that city, and their son, Benjamin Clifford, there resided. Benjamin Clifford married Achsah Wade, September 27, 1795, they the parents of John Henry Clifford, of New Bedford, a Governor of Massachusetts.
John Henry Clifford, born in Providence, Rhode Island, January 16, 1809, was of the eighth American generation of the family founded by George and Elizabeth Clifford. He died in New Bedford, Massachusetts, January 2, 1876, after a brief tour abroad in search of his health. He was a graduate of Brown University, class of 1827, completed law studies under Timothy Gardner Coffin, of New Bedford, and was admitted to
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the bar in 1830, locating in New Bedford, and for a brief period the law firm, Coffin & Clifford, existed, conducting a law business established in 18II by Timothy Gardner Coffin. In 1811 he was considered the ablest lawyer of his day and section. In 1838 the firm was Colby & Clifford, then Colby, Clifford & Brigham, then Clifford & Brigham, and through many changes the firm has come to its present form, Crapo, Clifford & Prescott. Mr. Clifford was a member of the State Legislature; aide on Governor Everett's staff in 1836; district attorney, 1840-1849; State Sena- tor, 1845; Attorney-General, 1849; Whig candidate for Governor in 1852, but although having twenty-five thousand more votes than either of the opposing candidates did not have a majority over all and the election was thrown into the Legislature, they satisfying the choice of the people and seating Governor Clifford. He was inaugurated, January 1, 1853, served a term with honor, declined renomination, and at the close of his term accepted from his successor appointment as Attorney-General, an office he held until 1858. In 1862 he was State Senator and chosen presi- dent of the Senate. He was elected president of the Boston and Provi- dence Railway Company, in 1867, and an overseer of Harvard College, elected by the Alumni. This was a deeply appreciated honor, as he was not a Harvard graduate. Later the board chose him its president.
As a man and private citizen, Governor Clifford exhibited traits of character which won the respect of all and the love of those near him. Said Alex H. H. Stuart, of Virginia, concerning him :
There was a quiet dignity and grace in every movement and his countenance beamed with intelligence and benignity. With a mind of great power he united a heart which throbbed with generous impulses and a happy faculty of expression which gave a peculiar charm to his conversation. There was a frankness in his bearing and a genial urban- ity about him which at once commanded confidence and inspired good will. Everyone who approached him felt attracted by a species of perma- nent magnetism which was irresistible.
Governor Clifford married, January 16, 1832, Sarah Parker Allen, daughter of William Harland and Ruth (Parker) Allen. Ruth Parker was a daughter of John Avery and (Standish) Parker, a descend- ant of Captain Myles Standish. Two of Governor Clifford's sons arrived at maturity, Charles Warren and Walter Clifford. Charles Warren Clif- ford became a member of the firm, then Marston & Crapo, in 1868, and Walter Clifford in 1874, the firm then becoming Crapo, Clifford & Clif- ford. Charles Warren Clifford, born August 19, 1844, in New Bedford, is now (1918) after a long life of usefulness in his profession and in the public service, yet a member of the firm he entered in 1868.
Walter Clifford, son of Governor John H. and Sarah Parker (Allen) Clifford, was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, August 11, 1849, and died at his summer home in South Dartmouth, Massachusetts, August, 1913. His education, begun in private schools, was continued in New Bedford Friends' Academy, Philips Exeter Academy, and Harvard Uni-
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versity, whence he was graduated Bachelor of Arts, class of 1871. The following year he entered Harvard Law School, continued his study there for three years, and in the meantime was a registered law student in the offices of Staples & Goulding, of Worcester, and while a student was admitted to the Bristol county bar in New Bedford during the June term of 1874. He was graduated from Harvard Law School, Bachelor of Laws, class of 1875, and at once became law clerk with the firm of Marston & Crapo, his brother, Charles Warren Clifford, then being a member of that firm. In 1878 Walter Clifford was advanced to a partner- ship, the firm then reorganizing as Crapo, Clifford & Clifford. In 1894 Oliver Prescott, of high legal reputation, became a member of the firm, which then took on its present form, Crapo, Clifford & Prescott. Walter Clifford continued active in his profession, attained high rank and repu- tation among his contemporaries of the bar, and was greatly esteemed by all who knew him. For several years he served as vice-president of the New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank, and had large business inter- ests outside his profession. In municipal affairs he also bore an active part, and in 1889 and 1891 served the city as mayor, his administration being marked by efficiency and progress. He was a member of the Som- erset and Union clubs of Boston, in addition to numerous clubs and organizations of his native city.
Mr. Clifford married, June 5, 1878, Harriet Perry Randall, who sur- vives him, daughter of Charles S. and Sarah (Perry) Randall, of New Bedford. Their children are: John Henry, of further mention; Rosa- mond; Hilda, married, October 14, 1905, John W. Stedman, of New York; Randall, born May 12, 1889.
John Henry Clifford, of the tenth generation of Cliffords in direct male line, eldest son of Walter and Harriet Perry (Randall) Clifford, was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, May 7, 1879. After preparation in city schools and Groton school, he entered Harvard University, whence he was graduated, class of 1902, his classical course completed in three years, his senior year being spent in study at Harvard Law School. In 1904 he was admitted to the Bristol county bar, and following the lead of his father, uncle and grandfather, located in New Bedford, and formed an association with the law firm, Crapo, Clifford & Prescott, becoming a member of the firm in 1909, and is one of the active younger members of that firm, whose business began in New Bedford in 1811, when Timo- thy Gardner Coffin, his grandfather's preceptor and later partner, began practice in that city. Mr. Clifford is president of the New Bedford branch of the S. P. C. C .; vice-president of the New Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank, an office to which he was elected upon the retirement of his father ; clerk and director of C. O. S .; member of the various bar societies, of various other local organizations, of the Harvard and Art clubs of New Bedford, and of the Somerset Club of Boston. Mr. Clif- ford is unmarried, his home being with his widowed mother. At the present time (1918) he is serving as second lieutenant of the National Army at Plattsburg, New York.
Edward Co Jones
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EDWARD COFFIN JONES.
Although the greater part of the life of Edward C. Jones was spent in New Bedford, the scene of his unusual business success, he was not a native son, his birthplace that famed island in the Atlantic, thirty miles from the Massachusetts mainland-Nantucket, ancestry on the maternal side being traced to Tristram Coffin, whose life story is closely inter- woven with the earlier history of Nantucket. His business career be- longs to that golden era of New Bedford's history when her wharves were crowded with whaling ships and whale products, when the count- ing houses of her whaling merchants were scenes of busiest activity, and an aristocracy of oil ruled the city.
Edward C. Jones was one of the greatest of these merchants, the statement being made that at one time he was one of the wealthiest men in Massachusetts. He began as a clerk, but his ability, energy and indus- try brought promotion, then a partnership, then sole ownership of a wonderful business in outfitting whalers, and afterwards ownership of many vessels which carried the Edward C. Jones' house flag. There was little of fortuitous circumstance to which his success could be traced, but intelligently directed industry and perseverance gave him his opportun- ity, and sound business judgment guided his every enterprise. In select- ing officers to sail his ships and govern their crews he used his keenest judgment, and he always kept his vessels in the best repair. His crews were well fed and well used, consequently were always one hundred per cent. efficient. He took a deep interest in the families of his captains and mates, and when any news arrived of one of his ships he would drive to their homes and give to the families interested all the information he had received. Honorable, upright and able, he won success strictly on his merits, and among the merchants of his day stood preeminent.
His mother, Sally (Coffin) Jones, was a Quakeress, but in marrying Captain Reuben Jones she transgressed a strict tenet of her faith and for "Marrying out of the Meeting" was dismissed. This harsh decree was later softened, and her son allowed his birthright membership in the society. Mr. Jones was a strong believer in heredity, insisting upon knowing all about the mother of any man who applied to him for a posi- tion, without seeming particularly concerned about their fathers. He was strong in his belief that a man's dominant traits were derived from his mother. He was a man of culture and refined tastes, his love for the best in English literature being especially marked. He could recite at will from Byron, Scott and other authors, often entertaining his friends in that way to his and their deep enjoyment. His was a well rounded character, and in New Bedford his name stood for all that was best. He was diligent in business, but not slavishly or selfishly so, and the charities of New Bedford greatly benefited by his generosity, his daughter yet continuing her interest in some of the philanthropies which he aided.
Edward Coffin Jones, only son of Captain Reuben and Sally (Coffin) N B-32
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Jones, was born at Nantucket, Massachusetts, October 23, 1805, and died in New Bedford, Massachusetts, March 16, 1880. His father was a cap- tain in the merchant service, sailing between American and French ports, his voyages sometimes extending to the German and North Baltic ports and to St. Petersburg. This trade was of necessity suspended during the War of 1812, and for a time Captain Jones was out of employment. The sudden change from an active seafaring life brought on a prolonged and a fatal illness, and he died when his son Edward C. was only thirteen years of age. The death of the father left the family without means of support or property, except the house they lived in. Edward C. Jones' early education, however, was the best available, his mother, a woman of unusual character and qualifications, supporting the family and keeping her son in school for the four years following her husband's death. Ed- ward C. Jones attended first a small private school and later the Friends' Academy in New Bedford, winning a reputation for quickness of mind, aptitude for study, a love for books, especially works of poetry and travel ; was an apt student in French, and devoted to outdoor sports, skating, swimming, hockey and riding. During his vacations he assisted his mother in the support of the family, at one time working as a book- binder, and at another time as general utility boy in a shoe store. A great source of pleasure to him in those early years was a gift of two shares in the Social Library, and there he was able to procure "Cook's Voyages," the discoveries of Dampier and others of a similar nature, all of which inspired him with the hope of going to sea himself. When nine- teen he was offered a position in the office of Fish & Grinnell, in New York, at three hundred dollars a year, with excellent prospects of ad- vancement, but he decided that his home town held quite as much prom- ise of a successful career, and the offer was declined. Soon afterward he entered the employ of Captain Elisha Dunbar, a ship chandler, where he proved himself so valuable that in 1827 he became a partner in the busi- ness, the firm becoming Elisha Dunbar & Company. In addition to the ship chandlery business, the partners began importing bar iron from Sweden and Russia and as they prospered invested their surplus funds in the whaling industry, buying one ship after another and fitting it out for whaling cruises. In 1839 Captain Dunbar died and Mr. Jones became sole owner by the purchase of the Dunbar interest from the heirs. After coming into full control he reorganized the business under the firm name Edward C. Jones, with storerooms at the foot of Spring street, but his own private offices were on Centre street, in the building which, after his death, was sold to Bartlett Brothers.
The increase of business compelled Mr. Jones to surrender part of his burden, and whaling being so profitable then, he withdrew from the ship chandlery line and devoted all his energy to the fleet of whalers he owned, adding to that fleet from two to five ships yearly. For nearly half a century he was connected with whaling, retiring in 1873, he at one time (1850) being agent, part or sole owner, in sixteen ships or barks, as
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follows: "Robert Edward," from 1830 until 1867; "Iris," from 1831 until 1851 ; "Roman," 1835 until 1871; "Mobile," 1842 until 1851 ; "Rhine," 1845, one voyage ; "Clarice," 1846 until 1871 ; "Junius," 1849 until 1853; "Eliza Adams," 1850 until 1863; "Europa," 1852 until 1864; "Oriole," 1863 until 1870; "Gazelle," 1867 until 1873 ; "Emma C. Jones," 1849 until 1871 ; "Governor Troup," 1843 until 1868; "Milo," 1849 until 1864; "Lap- wing," 1856 until 1864; "Florida," 1841 until 1865; "Congress," 1842 until 1851. The last six named were the most successful and profitable of all.
During the Civil War a Confederate privateer attacked a fleet of whalers in the Arctic, burned all but one, sending the crews home in the one unharmed vessel, which it so happened belonged to Mr. Jones. The losses inflicted by the Confederate raiders and the great mortality among the vessels of the Arctic fleet from the rigor of the severe winters gave the whaling ship owners such a serious setback that when the discovery of petroleum resulted in a great curtailment of their market for oil they were practically forced out of business. With characteristic energy and wisdom, Mr. Jones disposed of his ship property and turned his capital to the other fields of investment in which, during the years, he had be- come interested. He was a director of the First National Bank of New Bedford, formerly the Marine Bank; a director of the New Bedford Gas Light Company from its organization, and had other interests.
Although the whaling industry in which Mr. Jones was for so long a prominent figure represented in its day one of the most profitable as well as picturesque phases of the development of American trade, his successful career was not the result of luck or was it due to the pros- perity of the industry in which he was engaged. The fitting out of a merchant fleet demanded both unusual skill and executive ability, both marked characteristics of Mr. Jones, coupled with rare good judgment which he exercised in selecting captains and crews. With thoroughness and attention to detail, he spared no pains in putting ships into perfect condition and in equipping them with adequate supplies, while liberal treatment of the men sailing them attracted to his employ the best and most efficient, thus enabling him to contribute largely to American pre- eminence in the industry.
He was possessed of a remarkable memory, and was able to memo- rize a poem simply by reading it once, and his love of poetry and good literature continued throughout his life. Possessed of a keen sense of humor, he appreciated Dickens thoroughly and read his books with much pleasure. On account of his lameness, he could not participate as a soldier during the War of the Rebellion, but he was active in the recruit- ing service, and one company, raised mainly through his help, adopted the name of the Jones Guards. On account of his strong anti-slavery sympathies, he became an ardent Republican, and so continued through- out the remainder of his life. He was easily moved by the appeal of the human voice, whether from the lecture platform, the pulpit or the stage,
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and he was exceedingly fond of the drama and of vocal music. He was a liberal supporter of city charities and philanthropies, especially interested in the Association for the Relief of Aged Women.
Mr. Jones married (first) in 1835, Louisa Gibbs, who died in 1839. Mr. Jones married (second) in 1844, Emma Chambers, who died in 1852, the mother of four daughters: Sarah Coffin, died aged seven years; Emma Chambers, of New York; Amelia Hickling, of New Bedford; Sarah Coffin, died in 1891, wife of J. Malcolm Forbes, of Milton, Massa- chusetts. Mr. Jones married (third) in July, 1872, Mary Coffin Luce, daughter of Captain Matthew Luce, of New Bedford, who survived him until 1917.
CLIFTON WARREN BARTLETT.
Clifton Warren Bartlett was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, December 6, 1866. He is a son of William. H. Bartlett, a commission merchant of New Bedford, and his wife, Eunice N. (Tripp) Bartlett, who is yet a resident of New Bedford. Mr. Bartlett was educated in his native city, graduating with the class of 1887 from Friends' Academy. He began business life as a bookkeeper, his first five years of service being in that capacity with William Lewis, a shipping merchant. He then spent about one year with the Journal Publishing Company, as bookkeeper, then spent a few years in Boston as bookkeeper for the firm of Harry G. Collins. In 1895 he entered the employ of the Dartmouth Manufacturing Corporation, and in 1912 became treasurer, his present responsible post. His natural aptitude has made business life a series of success for Mr. Bartlett and the position he holds is one well earned and efficiently filled. He is a man of clear, discerning mind, has no fads or wild theories to distract him, but in a thoroughly rational way he deals with the problems of financial mill management or civic government. His value to corporation and city lies in the fact that he is always able to meet his problems from a business man's standpoint and allows his judgment, and not the impulse, to rule. Safe and sane are words which might have been coined to describe him, so well do they convey the feel- ing with which he is regarded.
He is a Republican in politics, and beginning with 1912 he has been an integral part of the city government, with the exception of 1916, when he was out only to return January 1, 1917, reelected for 1918, and is now chairman of important joint committees and deeply concerned in giving his city good government. During 1917 he was an important figure in the city government, being chairman of the board of aldermen, which position automatically made him acting mayor in the absence of disabil- ity of the chief executive. He is chairman of the city Republican com- mittee, secretary of the Wamsutta Club, member of the Country Club, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and Trinitarian Church.
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Mr. Bartlett married, in 1893, Edith A. Stevens, they the parents of a son, Warren Bartlett, born September 14, 1897, a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, prepared at Rosenbaum's School, and entered Yale University, class of 1921.
THOMAS DAWES ELIOT.
The history of Thomas Dawes Eliot carries us far back into the past and to the minds of the elderly recalls scenes in Congress and in the Nation which equalled any demonstration of the present crisis in our Nation's history. He fought for the rights of the slave in Congress, and aided in making the early history of the Republican party. He intro- duced and championed the Freedmen's Bureau Bill, and watched over the early life of the bureau. But it was as a great lawyer that he was best known, and his is one of the names whose niche in the hall of fame is secure.
He traces his ancestry back to the Hon. Andrew Eliot, who was born in England, and died in Beverly, Massachusetts, in 1703-04. He married Grace Woodier, who died in 1652. Their son, Andrew (2) Eliot, was baptized in 1651, and was drowned at sea in 1688. He married Mercy Shattuck, who was born in 1655, and their son was Andrew Eliot (3), who was born in 1685, and died in 1749. He married Ruth Simonds, who was born in 1676, and died in 1760. Their son was the Rev. Andrew (4) Eliot, who was born in 1718, and died in 1778. He married Elizabeth Langdon, who was born in 1721, and their son was Samuel Eliot, who was born in 1748, and died in 1784. He married Elizabeth Greenleaf, who was born in 1750, and died in 1841. Their son, William Greenleaf Eliot, was born in 1781, and died in 1853. He married Margaret Dawes, who was born in 1789, and died in 1875.
Thomas Dawes Eliot in the seventh generation from the Hon. An- drew Eliot, the American progenitor of the family, was the eldest son of William Greenleaf and Margaret (Dawes) Eliot, and was born in Bos- ton, March 20, 1808, and died June 14, 1870. His parents lived awhile in New Bedford, going to Washington, D. C., in 1815, and there he finished his studies at Columbian College, being graduated in 1827, and delivering the Latin salutatory address. Soon afterward he began the study of law under the direction of his uncle, Chief Justice Cranch, of the United States Circuit Court, District of Columbia, and until 1830 continued his studies at Washington. In that year he came to New Bedford, and con- tinued the study of the law with Charles H. Warren, later a judge of the Court of Common Pleas. He continued his studies under Judge Warren until admitted to the Massachusetts bar and then began practice as his partner as Warren & Eliot. A large practice came to the firm, and after Mr. Warren's elevation to the bench, a heavy burden fell upon Mr. Eliot's shoulders, the business of the firm comprising common law causes in Bristol, Plymouth and the Island counties of Massachusetts. When
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Judge Warren left New Bedford, Mr. Eliot associated with himself, Robert C. Pitman, afterwards judge of the Superior Court of Massa- chusetts ; later they were joined by Walter Mitchell, and the firm became Eliot, Pitman & Mitchell. Mr. Mitchell later became a clergyman of the Episcopal church, and Mr. Eliot joined with his son-in-law Thomas M. Stetson (q. v.), and the firm became Eliot & Stetson and remained so until Mr. Eliot's death in 1870.
Mr. Eliot had also a great deal of equity business and admiralty causes were becoming frequent. For thirty years he regularly attended every jury term of court held in his part of the State, and in addition to his responsibilities as senior counsel, kept up his own office business in all its branches except criminal practice. He was deeply learned in the law, thoroughly grounded in its principles, and its development through decisions of high courts, and was especially skillful in applying principle, decision or precedent to the cause in hand. He was a strong pleader be- fore a jury, able and clear in his presentation, and in stately and more scientific debates in banc, shone brilliantly.
Among the causes which drew public attention to the counsel em- ployed was the litigation between the two divisions of the Society of Friends, the features of the case in which Mr. Eliot appeared involving the title of the meeting houses of the society in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, and in the progress of the case the usages and faith of the respective sects underwent investigation. Another celebrated case was his defense of the Massachusetts Medical Society in upholding the chartered powers of the society on issues raised by physicians of the School of Homeopathy. Another noted suit was a private one, but from its novelty and magnitude drew professional and public attention, as the result depended upon the execution, force and effect of mutual wills. This was the suit of Hetty H. Robinson (later Hetty Green) vs. Thomas Mandell, executor of the famous Sylvia Ann Howland estate, involving an estate of three million dollars.
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