History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 81

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1534

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business." "In turning the thumb-screw of political sentiment, great care should be exercised in applying the power." " Place very little faith in the thief who steals your watch, and says he has repented, unless he returns the watch." "Out of the grog-shops come misery, woe, poverty, and death." " The power that commands votes is the power which politicians re- spect." "Laws are never enforced by those who break them." " If you want political purity to pre- vail, prayers and teaching must be the rifles, and un- remitting work the ammunition, handled by men of unflinching integrity, who will fire into political sin at short range." " The grog-shops make bad voters, as surely as the churches make good ones." " Catering to a mob never advanced the interests of any class or institution inaugurated to benefit the community."

Mr. Faxon's benefactions are by no means confined to the State Temperance Alliance, Reform Clubs, and other temperance organizations.

A few words must be said about the much-talked- of " Quincy system" of dealing with liquor selling, and Mr. Faxon's connection therewith, as its author and " policeman" under it. In March, 1881, Mr. Faxon caused this article to be inserted in the war- rant calling the annual town-meeting: "To see if the town will appoint, or instruct the selectmen to appoint, special police officers to enforce all laws bearing upon the sale of intoxicating liquors, and ap- propriate money therefor." This was adopted by the town, and we continue in Mr. Faxon's language :

" In 1881 there were forty-two licenses granted, while several dispensers of the ardent were selling in defiance of the law. By a nearly unanimous vote at the adjourned meeting, held in April, the selectmen were instructed to appoint the writer, as a policeman, to enforce all laws pertaining to the sale of intoxica- ting liquors. The appointment was made after some delay, and the arduous duties of the 'rural policeman' commenced. I was appointed, as I supposed, to do my duty ; but soon found that the honorable board which made the appointment thought I was doing too much duty, and I was accordingly displaced. At the next March election the board of selectmen was voted out of office, and an entire new board elected. In May, 1882, I was reappointed by the newly-elected selectmen, and com- menced my duties at once. I knew that it would be an ardu- ous task ; but having ' put my hand to the plow,' I had no intention of ' looking back.'"

As a writer, Mr. Faxon has an earnest, direct style. He keeps his object well in view, and never digresses except to add precept to precept, and to more completely and forcibly round out his argument. The obstacles thrown in his way by his opponents were numberless. Everything was done to evade the law. False swearing was resorted to in the courts, and Mr. Faxon was arrested for assault and battery ; but, with his great personal courage and untiring energy, these actions only infused greater zeal into detectives, spared neither pains nor money, made mid- Many of his expressions are epigrammatic combina- tions of strength, terseness, and philosophy. We extract a few, at random, from various published ar- ticles : " A man cannot override instinct." " Human nature will stick out strongest wherever the dollars are the thickest." " Prayers avail but little in con- . his operations. He made a vigorous fight, employed verting rum-sellers, but the law-gun, fully charged, put in the hands of honest officials, will do effective | night raids on suspected places, fearlessly discharging

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his sworn, and to him sacred, duty, and pursued all

keeps in good health, and will doubtless continue to illegal dealers with a rod of iron. The results were | be a potent factor in the temperance politics of Massa- eminently satisfactory. Many violators of law have chusetts for many years. With his positive nature, he has strong friends as well as bitter enemies. The Boston Herald editorially says this of him : been complained of and prosecuted, each case being carefully worked up by having the testimony of wit- nesses taken at the trial in the lower court, and re- corded, with all attendant circumstances, for use in the upper court in case of need. Owing to the per- fect system adopted in their management, Mr. Faxon is very successful in securing convictions. Quincy is not now a wholesome place for rum-sellers, and shows, by its vastly improved condition, the value of Mr. Faxon's services as a police officer, in which position he is still continued. It is generally admitted that very little intoxicating liquor is now being sold in the town, while the traffic is surrounded with great dangers and difficulties. During the time that Mr. Henry H. Faxon has served the town of Quincy as a special police officer to enforce the liquor laws, there have been many inquiries made as to whether he was in- tending at any time to charge the town for his ser- vices. To set the matter at rest Mr. Faxon has sent the following letter to the selectmen :

" To THE HONORABLE BOARD OF SELECTMEN :

" Gentlemen,-For several years I have served the town as policeman, specially appointed to enforce the laws relating to the sale of intoxicating liquors. Appropriations have been made each year to pay for such duties. In order to relieve the town of any embarrassment as regards my compensation, I will state that I have made no charge whatever. I did not accept the position, with its many perplexities, for a money consider- ation, but for a higher reward-that of benefiting the citizens in their business and social relations. I have also derived the satisfaction of knowing that the laws of prohibition can be car- ried out if officials are honest and earnest. Confident that my fellow-townsmen have fully realized the blessings resulting from the enforcement of the law, I trust that in the coming cam- paign they will not be indifferent in advancing every principle which pertains to good government. Yours truly,

" HENRY H. FAXON.

" QUINCY, Jan. 28, 1884."

Mr. Faxon has contributed to the cause of prose- cuting illegal liquor selling in Quincy about five thou- sand dollars in money, in addition to unremitting toil and attention to the prosecution of cases. He has paid all his own counsel fees, and, whenever he has been assisted by brother officers, has invariably com- pensated them for special duties performed.

"There is no denying that Mr. Faxon is a very live man. We have frequently had occasion to class him with the political humorists ; for when he is not stirring up the wicked Demo- crats he is pretty likely to be making himself troublesome to the Republican machine politicians. As an independent political campaigner, the gentleman from Quincy is a success. He has I a party of his own, is hampered by no committee, and when in need of the sinews of war he can draw on a bank which had not failed up to latest advices. We have had occasion to approve Mr. Faxon's persistency in urging upon citizens of every party the need of diligently attending the primary meetings, if they wish to defeat incompetent and corrupt candidates for office. In one respect the Bromfield Street campaigner is phenomenal among politicians : he wants no office, and seems actuated by no hope of reward except that satisfaction which comes from a conscientious endeavor to make the world a little better than one has found it. Mr. Faxon backs up his talk by his money, and is liberal where many of the extreme prohibitionists are penurious. .. . Mr. Faxon makes a very keen point when he says that ' a good record never sends a man into oblivion, but hundreds have been buried beyond hope for want of one ;' and, further, 'the obituaries of dishonest men need a liberal amount of whitewash.' There is a pithiness about a genuine Faxonian sentence that appeals to the 'plain people' to whom the saga- cious campaigner addresses his many circulars and documents. He never loses an opportunity to fire into the ' wicked Demo- crats,' and the readiness with which he goes for an opponent's scalp is in refreshing contrast to the timidity of most politicians. A few more such independent, aggressive, caucus-attending politicians scattered through the State would do much to break up the rule of the machines. Faxon is right in continually re- minding the voters that they have a duty to perform, as citi- zens of a self-governing community, in attending the primary meetings, where selfish but practical politicians are always to be found. That is where he is a genuine civil service reformer. Campaigner Faxon's documents are compiled with remarkable accuracy. His sincerity is shown by the fact that, although doing much for the political advancement of other men, he never asks of his beneficiaries offices for himself or 'soft' places for his friends. To politicians who have weak spots in their records which they wish to conceal, Faxon is as annoying as an electric light is to a burglar. Taken altogether, Faxon is an in- dependent, energetic, go-it-alone politician, who will leave no successor to carry on his peculiarly successful methods of cam- paigning. There is but one Massachusetts and but one Faxon."

AMOS CHURCHILL.

Mr. Faxon is never idle. He keeps his own books, Amos Churchill was born at West Bolton, Canada, Dec. 31, 1816, of American parents temporarily re- siding there. His father, Amos Churchill, was born in Connecticut, Oct. 19, 1770. He came of an old family of high repute across the Atlantic, the English Churchills, who have often stood high in the councils looks after his large real-estate holdings, has a very extensive correspondence, and drafts, and often en- tirely prepares, his temperance articles; yet such is his system and method that there is no delay, but everything receives prompt attention. Not of a very strong physique, by his care in avoiding excesses he | of royalty, and various members of which have been

William Fiole

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knighted for deeds of valor. He was a tanner by trade, married Deborah Thornton, a native of Rhode Island, and settled first in Fairfax, Vt., afterwards in Canada, where he resided some years engaged in farm- ing and shoe manufacturing. He returned to Fairfax, where he died at the age of eighty-six. He had ten children, of whom Amos was the youngest. He was a hard-working man, honest, industrious, and a worthy member of society. Amos, his son, had but limited educational advantages, such as were given to farmers' sons in the early part of the century, but faithfully and dutifully he remained at home working on the farm until he was of age. He then went to Medford, Mass., and learned the trade of stone-cutting, pur- suing it as a journeyman for three years in Medford. He married Sept. 27, 1842, Lucretia, daughter of Alexander and Sally ( Bean) Rowe, of Camptown, N. H. (Alexander Rowe was born in Moulton- borough, N. H., Feb. 17, 1780, and attained the age of eighty years. His wife, Sally Bean, was born in Sandwich, April 9, 1787, married Mr. Rowe in 1805, and died at Camptown, July 28, 1840. Lu- cretia was born Jan. 4, 1824, being their youngest daughter and seventh child.) The young couple commenced housekeeping in Westford, Vt., where they resided for two years engaged in farming. About 1845 they came to Quincy, Mass., and for twenty years consecutively Mr. Churchill worked at his trade of stone-cutting in the employ of others, being for the last few of these years in charge of Williams & Spellman's Granite- Works. He was industrious and prudent, and saved money. About 1865 he formed a partnership with Charles R. Mitchell, to quarry and manufacture granite, under the firm-title of " Mitchell Granite-Works." This partnership continued four years, when Mr. Churchill purchased the whole interest of the firm in the quar- rying, cutting, and polishing departments, which he has continued to carry on, either alone or in partner- ship with others, until the present. His productions, whether in the rough or finished work, stand high in the esteem of dealers, and are to be found in all sec- tions of the country ; but they principally go to New York, some shipments, however, having been made to England. In the gradual advance from hand labor to the diversified and expensive machinery now used, Mr. Churchill has been prompt to avail himself of every mechanical and other appliance as auxiliaries to improve the quality or expedite the labor, and steam- engines, hoisting-engines, lifting-jacks, polishing ma- chines, bush-hammers, etc., have been purchased, together with all kinds of machinery required in his trade. By diligence and steady devotion to business,

applying himself to labor from early morning to long after the close of the day, through a succession of years, Mr. Churchill has been the architect of his own fortune. He has loved his chosen field of labor, and he still may be found attending to all details of his extensive business, which has far outgrown the expectations if not the ambitions of his early man- hood. He stands high in public esteem ; his word is unquestioned in all business transactions ; he owes nothing of his wealth, position, or business standing to extraneous causes or hereditary possessions. It has been the work of his own hands, of his industry, energy, and frugality, and his life is an example to the rising generation of what may be accomplished by them if they give the same determination, energy, and labor to accomplish success.

Mr. Churchill is a social companion, does his part in all matters of public improvement, is Republican in politics, is a member of Rural Lodge, F. and A. M., of Quincy, and of South Shore Commandery, of East Weymouth, and is to-day one of Quincy's highly valued and representative citizens. He has one child, Ellen B. (Mrs. J. H. Emery), who resides in Quincy and has two children, Alice J. and Flor- ence R.

WILLIAM FIELD.

William Field, son of Guilford and Nancy (Howard) Field, was born on Common Street, Quincy, Mass., July 11, 1807. The Field family is an early colonial one of well-established standing in old New England days. The various branches of this family are occu- pying positions of responsibility, trust, and honor in many localities at the present day. Guilford Field, born probably in Quincy, died suddenly in August, 1819, when William was but twelve years old. He married Nancy Howard, of Braintree, whose parents died when she was young, leaving her to be brought up by her grandparents. On her mother's side she was descended from Nathaniel Wales, who settled in Dor- chester in 1635 (see biography of Hon. Nathaniel Wales, Stoughton). Her grandfather once offered her a bag of gold if she would lift it, which she could not do. She died, at the advanced age of eighty-two, Nov. 3, 1853. William was early inured to labor, his parents being poor, and used to work at a very early age, " doing chores" at different places After his father's death he lived with Jonathan Beals, on Adams Street, for one year; then in 1821 he began to work in the granite quarries, then commencing to attract attention, and has from that time until the

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HISTORY OF NORFOLK COUNTY, MASSACHUSETTS.

present been identified with every step of the devel- opment and growth of this truly gigantic industry. For over sixty years has Mr. Field been connected with the ledges, the men, the machinery, the labors, and the successes of the granite industry. He has seen the associates of his early toil fall one by one into the long sleep of death, and is to-day, hale and vigorous despite his years, the oldest granite man in Quincy, the sole survivor of the pioneer quarrymen. He learned stone-cutting, which he followed for eight years, working during this period on stone for the Bunker Hill Monument, New York Exchange (from " Wigwam quarry"), and for various other places and works of note. The last seven years of this time he was engaged as foreman in the cutting and quarry de- partments for William Packard, and was also his paymaster. Having a thorough familiarity with all departments of the granite business and having accu- mulated some property, in 1839 he, with others, formed the " Franklin Granite Company," he to su- perintend the work which was done in Quincy and send it to their yard, which was in New York City. After eighteen months Mr. Field formed a partner- ship with Eleazer Frederick (the company ceasing to do business), and purchased its Quincy works, and has ever since conducted business on his own ac- count. He did a large amount of building in Boston for fifteen or twenty years, and afterward made a spe- cialty of monumental work. This partnership con- tinued until the death of Mr. Frederick in 1879. The firm has always been and now is " Frederick & Field," the present members being William Field,

work done by hand the business has now attained large proportions, amounting to from seventy-five thousand to one hundred thousand dollars per annum, and using labor-saving machinery, run by steam-engines of ex- pensive character, for hoisting, polishing, cutting, drilling, etc. We mention as worthy of special note that they furnished material for the New Or- leans Custom-House, the foundation of Plymouth memorial monument, the canopy over Plymouth Rock, basement of Custom-House, San Francisco, Cal., which was freighted around Cape Horn, soldiers' mon- uments at Holyoke, Mass., monument for the great wine merchant, Nicholas Longworth, Cincinnati, Ohio, and are now constructing the monument on the site of the battle of Monmouth, Freehold, N. J., soldiers' monuments in Manchester, N. H., Lawrence, Mass., vault for late John Anderson, the great tobacconist, of New York (said vault is in Greenwood Ceme-

tery), and many other large family monuments and vaults.

Mr. Field's business career has been very success- ful, and justly so. He has spared no pains to pre- serve the reputation, so long ago acquired by him, of furnishing honest material and excellent and artistic workmanship. He has been president of the Quincy Contractors' Association since its organization. Mr. Field married (Feb. 15, 1829) Louisa, daughter of Daniel T. and Rebecca (Smith) Dickerman. She was born in Easton, Mass., Oct. 27, 1811. For more than half a century have they walked life's pathway hand in hand, and lived to see generation after gen- eration of descendants rise up to do them honor, and reflecting credit upon the instructions and pleasant life of Mr. Field's home. Their children were Wil- liam Q., died in infancy. Louisa R., married, first, William Carver, who became sergeant in Company K, Eighteenth Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and was shot through the body, living ten weeks after being wounded, in November, 1862, while crossing the Potomac River; they had two children, William Oscar and Maria L. (Mrs. William Ross, of Braintree) ; second, Charles A. French, and resides in Brockton. William H. died, aged two years. William Augustus, now in business with his father, married Electa E. Burnham, and has two children, Ida Bell and Maria Louise Field. Elizabeth Ann, married Daniel Vining, of North Weymouth, and has one son, Elmer E. Vining. Harriet Amanda, married Henry Arnold ; has one child, Harry Field Arnold. Daniel Howard, deceased. Emma Helen, died unmarried. Charles Mrs. Frederick, E. Frederick Carr, and William | Henry, married Mary J. Emerson ; resides in Quincy, A. Field. They employ from seventy-five to one | and has one child, Edgar Howard Field. Arthur hundred workmen, and from small beginnings and | Kingsbury, deceased.

Mr. Field is Republican in politics, but is content to remain outside of official honors and preferment. He is of sanguine temperament, and is honored by the esteem of those who know him best. Having amassed sufficient wealth for his old age, he is pass- ing on towards the "twilight" in a home cheered by an intelligent and agreeable wife and the ministration of devoted children.

ELEAZER FREDERICK.

Eleazer Frederick was born in Tyngsborough, Mass., April 9, 1806, the tenth child of George and Rhoda (Reed) Frederick, the parents of twelve children. Their early training was rigid and puri- tanic, and educational advantages those of a district school, the boys working on the farm between school

& Frederick

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QUINCY.

terms. His father was a man of sterling integrity and great perseverance, whose life was passed quietly on the farm, with the exception of enlisting in the war of 1812, when he walked from Tyngsborough to Boston.

The subject of this memoir learned his trade of stone-cutting in his native town, which he left at his majority, walking to Charlestown to work on Bunker Hill Monument, and paying the requisite sum to be- come a member of that association. He afterwards worked in Boston and Quincy. Having mastered his calling of journeyman, he began to look for a broader field in which to work, taking charge of stone-yards in Norfolk, Va., Baltimore, Md., South Boston, Mass., and other places.

He settled in Quincy, Feb. 1, 1838, and with Horace Beals, William Field, and others formed the Franklin Granite Company, Mr. Frederick investing one thousand dollars, part of what he had saved by the exercise of the most rigid economy.

This company had two yards, one in New York, and one in Quincy. Horace Beals managed the New York, and Mr. Frederick the Quincy business. Owing to various causes the business did not prove a success, and the company dissolved in eighteen months, Mr. Frederick and the others losing the capital invested.

Undaunted by this reverse, in 1839 he started business again, taking William Field as partner, he being a superior quarryman and having charge of that part of the work. The first quarry was hired of Mr. Thomas Greenleaf, which was worked a number of years. The second (being the present quarry owned and worked by the firm) was hired of Capt. Josiah Bass, and purchased from his heirs in 1854. The partnership thus formed, under the name of Frederick & Field, continued nearly forty years. Mr. Frederick brought to bear on the business the qualities which, sooner or later, command success, namely, a clear mind, indomitable courage, and prac- tical knowledge of all departments of his business. His contracts, financial management, and personal supervision formed much of the basis on which the firm built its prosperity. His early training and strong constitution stood him in good stead in the arduous duties to which he was called, as press of business in the daytime and frequent absences from home, traveling for the firm, compelled him often to work far into the night writing and estimating. He supplied his early lack of advantages by making him- self educated in his special calling. Ably seconded by Mr. Field, Frederick & Field's small business of 1839 grew in size and importance. Machinery of all !

kinds was added to facilitate the working and hand- ling of stone, abler artists and artisans employed, the granite of other States purchased and worked, Scotch granite, marble, and bronze figures furnished when required by contracts, till at the time of Mr. Frederick's death, Sept. 12, 1878, their work had found its way into most of the States of the Union.

Mr. Frederick always kept in the van of the march of improvement in tools and machinery used in the business, and was always among the first to adopt any such, though not prone to waste time and money on useless inventions. He always kept abreast of the times in which he lived, and though in the course of his long career the methods of doing business, tools, machinery, etc., used changed greatly, he never al- lowed himself to cling to old methods and appliances which he had become accustomed to when his judg- ment showed him that the new methods and appliances of to-day were better.

His death was not only a great blow to his family, but a heavy loss to the firm and business, which owed so much of its financial success and high reputation to his persevering industry and ability.

The business, consisting at first of building work only, gradually changed its character, till now monu- mental work forms a chief part of it.

Among the buildings now standing we mention C. F. Hovey & Co.'s store, part of State Street Block, Boston, part of stone for San Francisco Custom- House, and basement of Tribune Building, New York. Many granite fronts furnished by the firm went down in the Boston fire, and many more are now standing we have not space to mention. Among the monu- mental and other work furnished by the firm we may remark the entrance posts, etc., and curbing around the pond, Public Garden, Boston, soldiers' monuments at Leominster and Holyoke, Mass., Springfield, Ohio, and Manchester, N. H. (which latter was the last contract of note entered into in Mr. Frederick's life- time, and which he did not live to see completed), and private and public vaults and monuments in great number. The Lovejoy monument is worthy of note as being the largest all-polished monument ever furnished in Quincy.

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History of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Part 81

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1534

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) ed
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1534