USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 106
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 106
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 106
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In the early days, all shoe factories sold their ontpnt to the jobbers, who in turn distributed to the retailers throngh- out the country. Edwin Clapp was one of the first mannfac- turers of fine shoes to discontinue selling to the jobbing trade, and to ship direct to the retailer. . . . His example was quickly followed by other factories. Thus did Edwin Clapp prove himself to be not only an energetic, progressive manufacturer, but also one with foresight and with the cour- age of his convictions in branching out and founding a new era in the fine shoe trade. As a credit manager he possessed extraordinary judgment and intuition, some of his feats in this department being the talk of the shoe and leather district at the time.
As a financier, Edwin Clapp's ability was unusual, at least among shoe manufacturers, for among them he doubtless en- joyed alone the distinction of being able to say that through- out his whole business career he never borrowed a dollar. He was fond of reading and extremely well posted. . The far- sighted wisdom that typified the man was never better shown than by the fact that he was continually preparing and per- fecting an organization which not only should be able bnt would be willing to carry on his work as he would have it done. No greater tribnte could be paid to his success in this respect than the award to "The Edwin Clapp Shoe" of the Grand Prize at the San Francisco World's Fair, which event
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took place years after his death; and the fact that the fol- lowing year his shoe also won the "Grand Prize" at the San Diego International Exposition ; showing that the high standard of quality which he set was still the keynote of his organi- zation, just as it had been during his lifetime.
As an employer, Edwin Clapp was loved by all his em- ployees, by the executives as well as by the most humble of his workmen, the greater part of whom he knew personally and by name. As a student of business he was clear of vision and instantly responsive to the best that progress had to offer, combining qualities of heart and mind that caused him to be admired and respected as well as loved. In every relation of life, whether public or private, social or personal, he held the esteem of all who knew him.
His ability is given its true place and valne wherever good shoemaking is understood and appreciated, for go where, you will among the factories making fine shoes, and you will find there, in high positions, men who served under Edwin Clapp, and learned of him the finer points of shoemaking. Success did not come easily or immediately, but he met every disconr- agement with true courage. When things looked darkest he was wont to say, "They do not quite understand what we are doing here in East Weymouth, but some day they will, and will appreciate it, too." It is pleasing to note, therefore, that recognition came while he was still a young man, able to enjoy the fruits cf his well-earned success. . . .
This account concludes quite appropriately with the lines:
Distinguished in appearance, with fine, well-modeled fea- tures and gracious though decisive manner, he was an ont- standing figure in any company, and when, on May 27, 1909, his life was brought to a close, there passed from the world of shoemaking one of its greatest leaders, one of the most conspicnous members of an industry noted for its great men, and one who left behind him an enviable record as a business man, as a citizen and as a true gentleman.
HORACE R. DRINKWATER-The positions of president of a bank and treasurer of a large shoe manufacturing concern in New England require unusual ability, such as is possessed in generous measure by Horace R. Drinkwater, of East Wey- mouth, whose principal connections are with the Braintree National Bank and the establishment of Edwin Clapp & Son, Incorporated, makers for three- quarters of a century of a consistently high grade line of shoes. Mr. Drinkwater is regarded as one of the finest business men in New England or the entire country, and the success of both of these concerns is due in large measure to his keen business judgment, unfailing loyalty and wide acquaintanceship. Neces- sarily, Mr. Drinkwater is in positions of great strate- gic importance in the business world; and his value has been recognized amply by his associates and con- temporaries, who have honored him on numerous occasions with positions of trust outside of his rou- tine duties. He has discharged the functions of these offices with ability and tact, and has won for himself an admirable place among his fellows. In civic affairs he has been unusually active, and in all of the obli- gations of life he has lived up to the name of a good citizen.
Mr. Drinkwater was born May 28, 1872, at Brain- tree, Massachusetts. At an early age he engaged in banking operations and was advanced to the position of president of the Braintree National Bank. In this position he made such progress as a financier that he was called to the service of the Clapp shoe manu- facturing concern as treasurer.
DR. ALBERT C. THOMAS, of Foxboro, super- intendent of the Foxboro State Hospital, whose death occurred September 2, 1928, brought to his profession an unusually fine equipment of skill and experience, and was uniformly successful in the conduct of that institution from 1914, when he assumed charge. He advanced to this important position after he had been
superintendent of the New Haven General Hospital, before which he had been in charge of the acute serv- ice at the Connecticut State Hospital. A fine profes- sional equipment and strong executive ability were his qualifications for the important posts he held, and in institutional work, with its many problems un- known to the private practitioner, he was a leading figure.
Dr. Thomas was born September 11, 1875, at New Orleans, Louisiana, son of Calvin C. and Hortense (Lesayme) Thomas, representatives of aristocratic old families, his father a minister of the gospel. His early education was received in the local public schools of New Orleans, after which he attended the Wittenberg College of Springfield, Ohio, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Science. He then matriculated at the Baltimore Medical College, from which institution he graduated in the class of 1898 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. After his graduation, Dr. Thomas became an interne at the Maryland General Hospital, Maryland Lying-In Hospital. and later having charge of the Bay View Asylum at Baltimore, Maryland. He then became assistant physician at the Worcester State Hospital, Worcester, Massachusetts; Highland Spring Sana- torium at Nashua, New Hampshire; and later was placed in charge of acute service for the Connecticut State Hospital. Dr. Thomas then became superin- tendent of the New Haven General Hospital, after which service he came to the Foxboro State Hospital as superintendent. Up to 1914 the Foxboro State Hospital had been devoted to the care of inebriates, but due to Mr. Thomas' labors the hospital was transferred from the Department of Charity and Corrections to the Department of Mental Diseases, and now they specialize in the care of mental diseases.
During the period of the Spanish-American War, Dr. Thomas was in service at the Maryland General Hospital engaged in the fighting of typhoid and malaria cases among the returned soldiers. Dr. Thomas was a member of the American Medical Association; the Massachusetts State and Norfolk County Medical societies; American Psychiatrical So- ciety, the Massachusetts Neurological Society; and the New York Society of Research. In politics he was a member of the Republican party, and in religious circles a member of the Protestant Episcopal church. Dr. Thomas was actively interested in club work and was a member of the Boston City Club; the Twen- tieth Century Club; member and president of the Franklin Country and the Mansfield Rotary clubs. He was a strong worker for every cause contributing to the civic betterment and advancement of Foxboro, and thoroughly measured up to the standard of good citizenship in every way. His profession and the broader relationship of community life felt in his passing a loss measurable only in the terms of the affection and respect his worthy life had inspired.
Dr. Albert C. Thomas married, in 1898, Eva Hop- kins, and had one son, Albert C., Jr., a graduate of Worcester Academy and Yale University, from which latter institution, in 1927, he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Science.
W. M. Wilbar, District Attorney for the South- eastern District of Massachusetts, paid the following tribute to Dr. Thomas:
The Town of Foxboro and the Commonwealth of Massachu- setts have lost a distinguished citizen and a faithful servant through the recent death of Dr. Albert C. Thomas. It has been my great privilege to intimately know him for the past few years and during that time I have often sought his opin-
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ion and help on matters which linked his knowledge of mental science with my office in the administration of criminal laws. I always found him ready to give freely of his time, even be- yond his strength, to every problem submitted to him.
He was a genial man. Reared in the atmosphere of the southern gentleman, his unfailing patience and courtesy were outstanding virtues. He loved his fellow-men. He loved Fox- borough and was a virile force in all its civil activities. The institution over which he so ably presided is a model for all who are interested in the care of the mentally sick. May it be a monument to him for the great work he has performed. He has left a host of friends who will long remember the magnitude of his works and the inspiration of his friendship.
ROBERT E. COSTELLO-Successfully guiding the affairs of the "Ambrose Press" as the president of that newspaper and printing concern, Robert E. Costello is an influence of sterling worth and widely recognized ability in publicity matters in Norwood and a large section of the county of which that town is a growing centre. Under his enterprise and his executive direction, the "Press" has increased mani- fold its value to the community as a publishing medi- um both in news and business lines; and Mr. Cos- tello is highly regarded by his constituency in the journalistic field, and all with whom his activities are affiliated. He is a son of Edward Costello, a master mechanic, of Galway, Ireland, who died in 1889, and Maude (Lynch) Costello, also a native of Galway, who died in 1896.
Robert E. Costello was born April 6, 1884, in Boston, where he attended the public schools. He has been identified with newspaper work practically all his professional career, making his first start as an errand boy with the "Ambrose Press." With this newspaper and its branches of publicity, Mr. Cos- tello served in various capacities up to the time of the death of A. N. Ambrose, when he was elected to the presidency of the concern, an office which he has continued to hold to the present time. The "Ambrose Press" had its beginning in Norwood in 1895, when the three Ambrose Brothers, A. N., W. P., and E. F., started their weekly newspaper whose first location was at the corner of Railroad and Washington streets. In 1901 removal was made to Cottage Street, in 1905 to Vernon Street, and in 1922 to the present location on Broadway. The "Ambrose Press" besides the printing of a newspaper with its circulation of over 3,500, conducts a general pub- lishing business with the modern type of machinery in operation, and with the employment of about forty people.
In the World War, Mr. Costello was prominent in all activities of Liberty Loan drives; and in all )civic affairs he has the interest of a loyal citizen. He is a Past Exalted Ruler of Norwood Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; a member of the local Council of the Knights of Columbus; and of the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He is also a member of the Norwood Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the board of directors of the Rotary Club. He is a communicant of St. Catharine's Roman Catholic Church.
Robert E. Costello married in 1918, Marion J. Dunn, of Norwood, daughter of Charles P. and Anne (McLaughlin) Dunn. Their children: Irene E., Marion J., Anne, and Leone A.
HARVEY A. GRANT-To the many vacation- ists who now come to the Cape, nothing is more conducive to the enjoyment of their recreation than a pleasant hotel whose manager is ever watchful of the comfort and pleasure of his guests. Harvey A.
Grant, manager of the Chatham Bars Inn, has acquired a splendid reputation for his able and effi- cient management of this resort hotel, and for the enjoyment and courteous treatment afforded to all its visitors.
Mr. Grant was born in Waterville, Maine, and was educated in the public schools of that town. In 1919, he came to Chatham Bars Inn as clerk; and his ability being soon recognized, he was promoted to the position of assistant manager in 1921. In this capacity, he continued successfully until 1922, when he was appointed manager of the inn, and he has ever since carried on this business with increased success. During the recent World War, Mr. Grant served in the aviation branch of the United States Navy, exhibiting great courage and skill, and receiv- ing the commendation and praise of his superior offi- cers.
Harvey A. Grant married, in 1922, Irma Day.
E. MARION ROBERTS was born in White Cot- tage, Ohio, May 16, 1886, son of Joseph Trumbell, deceased, who was engaged in farming throughout his active life, and of Mary Elizabeth (Weller) Rob- erts. Mr. Roberts attended the public schools of Zanesville, Ohio, and then matriculated at Swarth- more College, at Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. After a year of study there he transferred to Amherst College, at Amherst, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated with the class of 1911. Upon the completion of his college course, he continued at Amherst for two years doing graduate work in the Department of Physical Education, and in the fol- lowing fall came to Brockton High School as physi- cal director. So well did he discharge the duties of that position, and so enthusiastically did he enlist the interest and cooperation of his students that he was finally made head of the department of physical education for Plymouth County, in order that the other schools of the county might receive the bene- fits which he brought to the Brockton High School. In the larger field of service he is meeting his respon- sibilities with the skill and efficiency which made his work at Brockton so noticeable.
Mr. Roberts gives his support to the Republican party, and his fraternal affiliation is with the Paul Revere Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons. He is also a member of the Grotto, Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm. His clubs are the Brockton Country and the Kiwanis, while his religious prefer- ence is with the South Congregational Church.
E. Marion Roberts married, February 6, 1912, Alice Orr, and they are the parents of three children: 1. Walter, born in 1915. 2. Stuart Weller, born in 1918. 3. Jean, born in 1921.
MRS. HAYDEN RICHARDSON-In the back- ground of the well-known inn, "The Sign of the Motor Car," Dennis, lies a most interesting story of romance, and even of adventure. Of this story the chief protagonist is Mrs. Hayden Richardson; and the other, since deceased, was her husband, Hayden Richardson. The setting of the first scene is laid in New England, where Mrs. Richardson was born; of the second scene, in New York City, Washington Square South, where Mr. and Mrs. Richardson found together a great happiness and artistic expression, and their first considerable fortune; and the third scene, back in New England, on Cape Cod, where Mrs. Richardson today is counted among the most
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original of persons, charming owner of the afore- mentioned inn. "The Sign of the Motor Car" is a place of delight to all travelers who break their jour- neys, and who, taking tea or spending the night, encounter an atmosphere of simple charm, comfort- able relaxation, and perfect hospitality. "The Sign of the Motor Car" was incidentally the first tea house on the Cape.
Mrs. Richardson, née Margaret Howes, is descend- ed from a family, old in the history of the United States. On both sides her ancestors were Cape Cod men. Through her father she is descended directly from Thomas Howes, who with his wife and three sons came over from England in 1635 and settled in Dennis, as shown in the following quaint deed of land, a transfer thereof from an Indian Sagamore, signed with his mark:
Witnesseth these, that I Sagamore do (Acknowledge) that I have received of Antony Thatcher, Mr. John Crow and Mr. Thomas Howes, all and every particular thing and things, that I was to have for all and every part and parcel of land, from a place called Stony Copen, also Stony Cove and thence unto a river north eastward, issuing unto the sea, at the eastward end of Aquiot Neck, now called by the English, Stony Brook and Saquatucket Harbor. Bounded southerly by the land of Hoiana, an Indian Sagamore, and northward with the sea, which said lands I sold unto Mr. William Bradford, Esq. I say, I acknowledge myself fully satisfied and paid and thereof and of every part and parcel thereof, I do for- ever acquit the said Antony Thatcher, John Crow and Thomas Howes in witness whereof I have here unto set my hand, the eighth day of May, 1657-the mark of (His mark, resem- bling somewhat an Egyptian character).
Mrs. Richardson's father was Isaiah Howes, born in Boston; her paternal grandfather, Osborne Howes, born in Dennis, was a member of the shipbuilding firm of Howes & Crowell, of Boston.
Mrs. Richardson and her husband in 1906 were liv- ing in New York City, in one of the old studio build- ings on Washington Square. Their studio was visited by many of the younger artists and writers then unknown to fame, but since, quite noted; they came for tea, for 'solace, and for inspiration, occa- sionally to share the triumph of a painting or book sold. Then even more than now the spirit of the village was artistic, a proper setting for two charm- ing young persons, themselves of artistic tempera- ments, the husband then employed by the New York Telephone Company, which employment might have seemed prosaic for a Villager were it not for the fact of his friends and their activities. Money, need one remark, was not too plentiful, though as compared with the majority of their struggling friends, the Richardsons were well off.
Fortune has followed the puzzle fads of each decade, and it fell to Mrs. Richardson to precipitate this fad in New York. (Of this she writes most interest- ingly in a small brochure, under the title of "The Sign of the Motor Car.") A friend of her husband suggested to her that she take advantage of the cur- rent cut-puzzle craze, then rampant in Boston. She purchased a jig saw, wood, paper and some attractive pictures, pasted the pictures on the thin wood, and cut out the puzzles. The basic idea perhaps was pocket money, but the venturesomeness of her fore- bears was not absent from herself, and she approached Brentano's, of Fifth Avenue, proposing that they put her puzzles on sale. Within a few hours Brentano's telephoned for greatly increased supplies, as the trial puzzles were selling much as the proverbial hot cakes. Mrs. Richardson scurried around, hired help, and opened a shop for their manufacture, calling them "The Perplexity Puzzles," and sold to Bren-
tano's exclusive clientele-it was exclusive at that time. Meanwhile their author had not purchased cheap chromos for the work, but had taken care to afford really good pictures so that the completed puz- zle would please the most discriminating. A socially prominent bachelor one night called Mrs. Richard- son on the telephone, getting her out of bed, asking: "Mrs. Richardson, what is this damn puzzle I am making; is it a bear on a beach, or what?" She asked him the name, and was able to give him the answer. And at two a. m. the triumphant bachelor returned to work, reassured. The crowning effort was the con- struction of a puzzle of twenty-seven hundred pieces for the Duchess of Marlborough. Those were busy, prosperous days. Money came in large quantities, and the Richardsons moved to Washington Square North, joining, as it were, the aristocracy of the Vil- lage. Mr. Richardson left his job with the telephone company to become commercial manager of the com- pany, though Mrs. Richardson supervised the selection of pictures and salesroom.
Things were progressing very well when one after- noon a friend of Mr. Richardson's college days came in to tea, and proposed that he should join a party to seek a sunken treasure, thought to amount to seven millions in gold, at the bottom of the Caribbean. The project assuredly appears fantastic per se, but seemed appealing then, even if for the trip of adventure alone, and Mrs. Richardson gave her consent that her hus- band might go along with the congenial group, most- ly Harvard men. The old racing yacht, "Mayflower," was chartered, and the treasure hunters set sail. Secrecy was preserved. A chart which was supposed to mark where the British corvette "Good Faith" had gone to the bottom in 1684, bound out of San Domingo City, was carried. They were off; Mrs.
Richardson waved farewell the adventurers. Would it be successful? No word was to be received for two or three months, and therefore, when the telephone rang one day Mrs. Richardson answered without excitement-to learn that the "Mayflower" had been wrecked, and the crew just saved before the yacht went to the bottom of the sea. There fol- lowed anxious, soul-trying days, rewarded at last when Mr. Richardson came home, his taste for adven- ture appeased for the time being. In view of their upset condition Mr. and Mrs. Richardson decided to leave the city, at least for a time, to allow themselves to mend their nerves. They came to Cape Cod, to Dennis, and here saw and purchased the house and site that became the nucleus of "The Sign of the Motor Car."
That was in 1910. Little time was lost by the Richardsons in removing the few effects which they had in New York, and establishing themselves in the inn. Mrs. Richardson brought with her a little Ital- ian maid to wait on the table. The house was made ready very quickly and they hung out "The Sign of the Motor Car" on a post at the front gate. They then waited for custom. But it did not come. Ingen- uity triumphed, however. Friends and relatives of Mrs. Richardson attended the inn the next day, and all sat about in sight of the road, taking tea-lots of it. The decoys stopped cars, and trade from that time onward picked up. (In the summer of 1925 the inn catered to more than eight thousand persons). And as trade expanded, more room was needed. The Richardsons found themselves in the profitable posi- tion of being squeezed out of their own sleeping quar- ters. One summer they slept in the loft of a neigh- bor's barn, and two others in a large tent. As time
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went on there was only the necessary work of direct- ing the help and Mr. Richardson having more leisure added to the natural beauties of the grounds, by planting roses and shrubs, giving it a delightful indi- vidual charm. Permanence was assured, and they bought a lovely old house which they moved onto the property, naming it "Honeymoon Cottage." In 1925 a small house across the road was added, chiefly as a dwelling for the help and to give parking space for the cars. There Mrs. Richardson opened an antique shop. They also moved a very old house from South Yarmouth, which they placed near the lake as a per- manent home for themselves.
Mr. Richardson, whose death occurred in 1922, was graduated from Harvard in the class of 1891. He inherited from his mother sterling New Eng- land qualities, with a keen realization of his duty as a citizen, and from his father, a celebrated architect who was born in New Orleans, a warm Southern temperament and the love of all things beautiful in art and nature. In the Spanish- American War he fought under Roosevelt, and nearly died of typhoid fever. He was married to Margaret Howes in 1906, when they began a residence in New York City. Later, as noted, he went in search of pirate treasure with Guy Scull's expedition to the West Indies, and from 1910 to the time of his death twelve years later was a familiar figure on the Cape. Here he had completely found himself, and was beloved of those around him. When America entered the World War he was one of the first to volunteer to join the unit which Roosevelt offered to raise. Then came several years of untiring activity, when he served as head of the Cape Cod Chapter of the Red Cross. With the novelist, Joseph C. Lincoln, he toured one summer through the Cape, playing in Mr. Lincoln's drama, "Grandpa," for the benefit of the Red Cross. In 1917 he went to France as Red Cross captain, with headquarters at Nancy. The war over, he resumed his management of "The Sign of the Motor Car," and here lived in tranquillity and happi- ness until the last.
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