History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 4

Author: Thompson, Elroy Sherman, 1874-
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 642

USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 4
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 4
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 4

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Mr. Geogan is now a prominent member of the Plymouth County Bar Association and also of the Brockton Bar Association, in which latter community he is frequently called upon to practice in the interest of clients. His social affiliations are with the Whit- man Council, Knights of Columbus, and he is also a member of the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters and the American Order of Foresters. Keenly interested in public and business matters, he retains membership in the Whitman Board of Trade. A Democrat in political belief, he served the town of Whitman most efficiently as a member of the local School Board during a period of three years. During the World War, Mr. Geogan rendered service of value to the nation in his capacity as member of the Legal Advisory Board of the Second Plymouth Dis- trict, having also served as chairman of that board during the tenure of hostilities. A member of the Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church at Whitman, Mr. Geogan is ever active in the interests of that denomination.

On November 25, 1909, John J. Geogan was united in the bonds of holy matrimony to Miss Mary E. O'Brien, in Whitman.

CLIFTON C. PUTNEY-A noted educator, native of the State of Massachusetts, and living all his life within its borders, Clifton C. Putney, superintendent of schools in the town of Bridgewater, is widely known and respected. He is closely identified with

the educational, civic, political, and fraternal organ- izations of the State, and is an active member in their various activities. Born at Orange, Massachu- setts, August 30, 1874, he is the son of Charles G. Putney and Izora M. (Clute) Putney. His father was born at Sutton, New Hampshire, and is highly esteemed as a cabinetmaker of prominence; he served in the Army during the Civil War with the First New Hampshire Volunteers, in the Heavy Artillery Di- vision with the rank of private. He is a member of the Charles H. Stevens Post, No. 53, Grand Army of the Republic, and is one of the few veterans in this part of the State. He is a direct descendant of Nathan Dow, who fought in the Revolutionary War. Mrs. Charles G. Putney was born at Lancaster, Mas- sachusetts, and died in the year 1910. She was a descendant of Salomon Spaulding, who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Clifton C. Putney received his education in the public schools of Leominster and graduated at the high school in that town. He attended Williams College and graduated with the class of 1895. Upon the completion of his education Mr. Putney entered the teaching profession and has made educational work his life interest. His first position as a teacher was at Oxford, Massachusetts, in the public school, and he left there to teach in the high school at Lun- nenburg. He later went to the town of York, Maine, where he taught school for a considerable period of time, returning to his native State and teaching at Templeton, Westboro, and then at Merrimac. In 1920 he moved to Bridgewater to teach in the high school and in June of that year was appointed to the office of principal of the Junior High School of Bridge- water. The following year, in June, 1921, he was elected to; the office of Superintendent of Schools of Bridgewater, and has since remained in this position. His judgment and experiences in matters of educa- tional importance is of high value to his community, and he is an active member of several educational societies, including the National Education Society; New England Superintendents' Association; Mas- sachusetts Superintendents' Association; and the Plymouth County Teachers' Association. In politics he is a strong Republican and interested in the plat- form of his party, serving in its behalf as selectman during one year at Merrimac in this State. He is a member of the Bridgewater Chamber of Commerce, and of the Men's Club. Gardening is his especial hobby and he has one of the finest gardens in his neighborhood. In the fraternal organizations of his community he is a member of the Masonic Order and of the Harmony Chapter, Royal Arch Masons.

Clifton C. Putney married, in 1915, Alline Sargent, born at Merrimac, daughter of Ralph H. Sargent. They attend the Congregational church.

HARRISON D. SOULE-The family of which Harrison D. Soule is a most worthy member, has contributed its quota of sterling citizenship to the State of Massachusetts since the coming of the white man to her shores. Mr. Soule, a well-known banker of Whitman, is now rearing two sons, who will, no doubt, in time achieve the same lofty place in regard of their fellow-citizens that has been attained by their father, grandfather, and other forebears of gen- erations long past, traced in the history of the com- monwealth to the pioneer American ancestor, George

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

Soule, one of the hardy little band of venturesome spirits who impatiently awaited the mooring of the good ship, "Mayflower," off the rugged coast of what is now the thriving town of Plymouth, birth- place of the American continent. Following is a brief summation of the lives and activities of members of more recent generations of the Soule family, par- ticularly relating to their participation in the affairs of the town of Whitman and vicinity:

Stephen D. Soule, a native of Duxbury, Massachu- setts, was engaged in business as a custom shoemaker until a brief time prior to his death in 1886. He mar- ried Elizabeth Colwell, who was born in West Bridge- water, Massachusetts, and who died in 1898.

George D. Soule, son of Stephen D. and Elizabeth (Colwell) Soule, was born September 4, 1850, in Stoughton, Massachusetts. He acquired his early education in the public schools of the town of his birth, subsequently becoming a student in the local high school, from which he was duly graduated, and completed his education during attendance at French's Business College, located in the city of Boston. Re- turned to his home town, he was employed for a year in the cotton mills at Stoughton, at the expira- tion of which time he removed to Whitman, which community was in later years to witness his develop- ment into a peerless business executive and financier. Arrived in Whitman, he almost immediately obtained a position with the Old Colony Railroad in the ca- pacity of station agent at the local depot, and this connection continued for the succeeding fourteen years. In 1888, George D. Soule embarked upon his first individual business enterprise, under the firm style of George D. Soule, and through this medium engaged in the closely-allied lines of real estate brokerage and insurance. He continued to function as an individual operator until 1895, and in the latter year accepted his elder son, G. Howard Soule, as a business partner, the name of the firm then being changed to that of George D. Soule & Son, which organization enlarged the scope of its activities with the passing of the years. G. Howard Soule, junior partner in the firm, died in 1916, his place in the business then being engaged by Harrison D. Soule, the only other son of his father. This concern, with offices at No. 572 Washington Street, Whitman, is today the largest enterprise, in point of volume of business accomplished, in the town of Whitman. In 1889, six years after founding the realty and insurance business, George D. Soule, with an associate, Amos S. Stetson conceived and negotiated the details of the organization of the local financial institution which is now called the Whitman Co-operative Bank, Mr. Stetson having been the original president of the bank, of which Mr. Soule was elected to occupy the office of treasurer. In 1917, he resigned as treas- urer, and during the same meeting of the board of directors at which he tendered his resignation, was elected to the presidency. It is worthy of note that at the time of the original founding of the bank, there were but five hundred shares of stock sold, whereas, in 1927, the Whitman Co-operative Bank has 75,000 shares of stock in circulation, possesses assets of approximately six million dollars, and is one of the largest financial institutions of its kind now operating in the State of Massachusetts. The Whitman Co-operative Bank is entitled to the further distinction of having for the past twenty-six years, without a lapse, paid six per cent interest upon their investment to the stockholders.

There is hardly a civic or philanthropic undertaking worthy of note effected in Whitman that does not include George D. Soule as one of its most active supporters, one of the objects of his attention having been the founding and maintenance of the Rogers Home for Aged Women, of which institution he is a trustee and formerly served in the capacity of presi- dent. A member of the Unitarian church denomina- tion at Whitman, he has served as clerk of the parish for the past thirty years. The Whitman Board of Trade has for many years benefited by the member- ship of Mr. Soule. In the matter of public office- holding he has been most considerate of the best interests of the community, often serving in official capacities which interfered seriously with the proper attention to his personal business affairs. For twenty years, he served as a member of the local Board of Selectmen, and fifteen years of capable services were rendered by him during his tenure in office as a member of the Board of Registers of the town. Politically, he is and has always been partial to the policies and candidates of the Republican party. In Masonic circles, also, Mr. Soule is widely known and most popular, being a member of Puritan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, having been the second individual to be initiated as a member of this lodge following its organization.

George D. Soule was married, in 1869, to Elizabeth Howard, a native of the city of Brockton, Massachu- setts, who died in 1901. Mr. Soule married (second), Anna H. Brown, who was born and reared in Abing- ton, Massachusetts, and is now residing with her family in Whitman. To the first union of Mr. Soule were born four children: 1. L. Gertrude, married Frank C. Stetson, a native and resident of Whitman. 2. G. Howard, mentioned heretofore, who died in 1916. 3. Marian L., married Nahum Reed, born and reared in Whitman, where he continues to reside. 4. Harrison D., previously mentioned, and of whom further.

Harrison D. Soule, son of George D. and Eliza- beth (Howard) Soule, was born in 1888, in the town of Whitman, Massachusetts. After acquiring a rudi- mentary education in the local public schools, he entered and was duly graduated from the Whitman High School, then became a student at the Highland Military Academy, Worcester, Massachusetts, and subsequently studied for one year at the Massachu- setts Institute of Technology in Boston. Returned to Whitman, he was associated with the Regal Shoe Company for three years. In 1911, having thereto- fore displayed an interest in matters of finance, he secured a position as clerk with the Whitman Co- operative Bank, of which institution he has served as treasurer since 1917. In addition to his official con- nection and financial interests in the bank, Mr. Soule is also a partner in the realty and insurance business of George D. Soule & Son, founded in 1883, and in which he acquired a partnership interest in 1916.

Mr. Soule is affiliated with Puritan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, at Whitman. He is a member of the Thorny Lea Golf Club, and belongs to the Whitman Board of Trade. A Republican in political affiliation, he has rendered service to that party on several occasions, as a member of the Republican Town Committee.

Harrison D. Soule married, in 1912, Vera H. Thayer, who was born and reared in Bellingham, Massachusetts, and to this union have been born three children: Elizabeth H., Kenneth D., and Donald

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

S. The family are members of the Congregational church, and reside in Jenkins Avenue, Whitman, Massachusetts.

JONATHAN SAMUEL SWINGLE-The one sure road to big achievement seems to be the rugged road piled high with obstacles, and in business, as in the history of the rise of nations, obstacles are the sur- est stepping-stones to success. The story of the success which Jonathan Samuel Swingle won for himself and of the meaning of his name to the Quincy, Mas- sachusetts, granite trade, is the simple but inspiring story of circumstances which challenged the powers of an able and courageous man, who knew how to "fight to the last ditch," in order that a need might be met. In meeting the great need of the Quincy granite industry, Mr. Swingle not only saved it but built for himself a great business enterprise and be- came the owner of the largest individually possessed quarry property in the world, approximately fifty acres of quarry land. The man who was thus a leader inherited his sturdy power and initiative from a notable family and from one of the distinguished men in world history: Huldrich Zwingli, Swiss re- ligious reformer during the days of John Calvin, and participant in the religious wars of that period. When Mr. Swingle's ancestors left their home in Switzer- land to settle in Germany, the spelling of the name became "Schwingel." The new home was in the village of Oberlinx-weiler, some eighteen miles from the River Rhine, and near the French border. When the move to America came, the form again changed to Swingle, as spelled by the subject of this record and by all authentic American descendants of Huld- rich Zwingli. Mr. Swingle has a coat-of-arms in col- ors which is the family escutcheon.

Jonathan Samuel Swingle was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, seventeen miles below Zanesville, April 12, 1856, son of William H. and Catharine (Stoneburner) Swingle, grandson of Samuel Swingle on the paternal side, and Jonathan Stoneburner on the maternal side. Both parents were natives of that same locality. The father and seven brothers served throughout the Civil War and were present at the surrender of General Robert E. Lee to General U. S. Grant at Appomattox Court House, Virginia, in 1865. The father then became a farmer. Because of the father's preoccupation with his military service, the little son had to begin early to work, going to his duties barefoot and scantily clad at six in the morn- ing and ceasing at six in the evening, all for the suin of forty cents a day. After four years of this hard and poorly paid labor, the boy found work in the coal mines at the age of twelve, for his father also worked there in winter. Mr. Swingle became an ex- pert coal miner, working veins three feet thick, and employing dogs to assist in delivering loads to the hoppers outside, these animals proving intelligent and helpful assistants. He was later employed in the Hocking Valley high vein coal mines, until his savings enabled him to take a business course in the Zanesville Business College, in Zanesville, Ohio, cov- ering commercial ethics and bookkeeping. In 1877 he graduated. As no position came to him, after the receipt of his diploma, he gave to his iron will-power its first real opportunity to function by taking his last sixty dollars to leave home and seek a business position, and determining to stay until he had it. Finally, through the college, he was chosen book- keeper to· Samuel W. Clark, dealer in lumber, man-

ufacturer of sash, doors, and other commodities, and proprietor of a hardware store with a complete stock of fittings and fixings for building, in the old city of natural advantages, Zanesville, Ohio. The new book- keeper found himself called on to serve as clerk also, and salesman, busy from 7 a. m. to 10 p. m., six days a week, for a salary of eight dollars a week. Four years later came his real opportunity, when Mr. Swingle answered an advertisement for a bookkeeper to go to Quincy, Massachusetts, for the pioneer granite and marble dealer, William C. Townsend, who lived in Zanesville and at the same time conducted a granite manufacturing plant at Quincy, Massachu- setts. He was then the largest maker of monumental memorials in the country.

Chosen in preference to his twenty-five competitors, Mr. Swingle went to Quincy on his thirtieth birth- day. A year later, the young man gave up his posi- tion as bookkeeper in order to become an agent, sel- ling monuments to retail dealers throughout the United States. In 1888, he engaged in the wholesale granite business for himself. Four years later, in 1892, he formed a partnership with Alexander Falconer, under the firm name of Swingle and Falconer, man- ufacturers of finished monuments. In spite of severe competition because of the one hundred and forty Quincy firms engaged in the manufacture of granite monuments, Mr. Swingle and his partner built up a vigorous enterprise. By 1900 theirs was a large and prosperous trade. A large syndicate, seeing in the general steady activity a prospect of immense profits through a monopoly of quarry ownership, purchased twenty-six of the Quincy quarries, intending to op- erate them under a single management. The project failed, and production at many quarries was discon- tinued. Difficult as success would have been for the quarry-owners and manufacturers outside the pool, the new situation was much worse, for it was im- possible for manufacturers to get enough stock at any price to fill their orders. Swingle and Falconer with their large trade were especially hard hit by the shortage. With characteristic resourcefulness, they found a way to meet their need by purchasing the El- cock Brothers' quarry of "extra dark" Quincy granite, thus saving not only their own plant but several others whose needs they supplied with the granite they quarried. This purchase, made in 1902, and ne- cessitated by circumstances as a means of self-defense, began Mr. Swingle's career as a quarry owner. After purchasing his partner's interest in his business, he sold the manufacturing plant in order to devote his whole time and attention to his work as quarry owner and operator. The monument manufacturing trade in Quincy and vicinity was glad thus to have their raw material supplied and Mr. Swingle's quarrying enterprise grew apace. He soon increased his hold- ings by buying Berry Brothers' quarry, an adjacent property of light and medium Quincy. With this ad- dition, backed by an unremitting vigor, the "Extra Dark Man," as Mr. Swingle came to be called, fought the stock shortage with all his might. Though the issue was dubious at the start, the courage and initia- tive of Mr. Swingle finally triumphed. Having sup- plied the present need, he set to work at the con- structive task of making the future assured. He bought the Mannex quarry, so-called, which adjoined the Elcock quarry, his first purchase, and has been developing it for several years.

Abutting the Mannex quarry is another "Extra Dark" quarry, the Wigwam, a magnificent piece of

Jonathan Samuel Swingh

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

property, formerly owned and worked by the Badger Brothers. Many large and important stones have been taken from the Wigwam, which is rich in the finest stock. The columns for the New Orleans Cus- tom House came from that source, also much of the stone of the Merchants' Exchange in New York City, the erection of which was supervised by Solo- mon Willard, architect of the Bunker Hill monument. For the Exchange, the Wigwam quarry supplied eighteen fluted columns over thirty-two feet high, weighing thirty tons each. Mr. Willard purchased the right to take stone from this particular quarry for five years in order to complete the structure. Practically all the stone for the Boston Exchange, another of Mr. Willard's undertakings, came from the Wigwam, as did the thirty-ton shaft of extra dark granite used to make the thirty-foot monument to the sculptor himself, erected by him in the Hall Cemetery in Quincy before his death. Before its acquisition by Mr. Swingle, this quarry had long lain idle. Three of Mr. Swingle's quarries have been opened into one by taking out the headway's between them, a process which is yielding an abundance of the finest stone. When the work is completed, it will make an opening approximately 800 feet long, averaging 300 feet wide, and varying from 200 to 300 feet in depth. In addition to this activity, the owner of these quarries is pushing development work, un- covering new possibilities, and in every way seeking to utilize the rich resources of the section. The equip- ment of the Swingle property is complete. There are twelve modern derricks, ranging in lifting capacity from ten to sixty tons; three power houses equipped with air compressors; numerous steam drills, auto- matic grout cars, and every accessory to insure ef- fectiveness of operation. The "Extra Dark Man" is prepared to quarry blocks of any grade of Quincy granite, in any shape or size, without restrictions or limitations of any sort, other than those of transporta- tion.

As soon as he reached his majority, Mr. Swingle joined the Free and Accepted Masons, of which he has been a member for more than half a century. He is also affiliated with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, as with all bodies of the Masonic Order, including the Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is a director of the Quincy Trust Company and other corporations. In politics, he is a loyal supporter of the Republican party.

June 29, 1892, at Quincy, Jonathan Samuel Swingle married Florence A. Rowley, born near Truro, Kings County, Nova Scotia, November 22, 1864, daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth Rowley. They made their wedding journey to the World's Fair, in Chicago. Mr. and Mrs. Swingle are the parents of three chil- dren: 1. Pauline Vivian, married to William Sieverts, who operates the Golden Pink Quarries in Niantic, Connecticut. 2. Jay Sumner. associated with his father in the management of these extensive quarry properties. 3. Maxine Louise, who is in charge of the office work in association with her brother and father.

ARTHUR CLARKE BOYDEN-The commu- nity of Bridgewater is fortunate in having as a citizen Arthur Clarke Boyden, educator, churchman, and public-spirited citizen, who has been active in the consummation of every enterprise tending to the bet- terment of his native town.

Albert Gardner Boyden, father of Arthur Clarke

Boyden, was a native of Walpole, Massachusetts, where he was born on February 5, 1827, son of Phineas and Harriet (Carroll) Boyden. He was a student at Bridgewater State Normal School, from which institution he was graduated in 1849, and also, for several years, studied under the tutelage of pri- vate instructors, and in 1861 was the recipient of an honorary degree of Master of Arts from Amherst College. He married (first), on November 18, 1881, Isabella Whitten Clark, a native of Newport, Maine, who died in 1895; and on August 24, 1898, he married (second) Clara Adelia Armes, of Nashua, New Hamp- shire, who died in 1906. Albert Gardner Boyden, following completion of his education, was assistant teacher at Bridgewater State Normal School from 1850 to 1853; principal of the English High School for Boys, at Salem, from 1853 to 1856; sub-master at the Chapman Grammar School, in Boston, during 1856 and 1857; first assistant, from 1857 to 1860, principal from 1860 to 1906, and principal emeritus, from August, 1906, to 1915, of the Bridgewater State Normal School. He was a former president of the Plymouth County Teachers' Association, Massachu- setts Teachers' Association, Massachusetts School- masters' Club, North East Normal Council, Old Col- ony Club; and former vice-president of the American Institute of Instruction, and ex-secretary of the Na- tional Council of Education. Albert Gardner Boyden died on May 30, 1915, and his life-work has since then been most ably carried on by his son, Arthur Clarke Boyden.

Arthur Clarke Boyden, son of Albert Gardner and Isabella Whitten (Clarke) Boyden, was born at Bridgewater, Massachusetts, on September 27, 1852. He received his primary education in the public schools of this town, and subsequently attended Bridgewater Academy; Bridgewater State Normal School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1871; and Amherst College, from which he was graduated in 1876 with Bachelor of Arts degree, and received the honorary degree of Master of Arts from the last-mentioned institution in 1881. Mr. Boyden also participated in special instruction upon the sub- jects of history and science at Clark University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Teachers' School of Science. Upon completion of his studies, he removed to Medway, and there was en- gaged as a teacher from 1871 to 1872. In 1876 and until 1879, he was teacher of mathematics at Chaun- cey Hall School, at Boston, which institution was a preparatory school for the tuition of scholars desiring to enter Massachusetts Institute of Technology or college. In 1879, he returned to Bridgewater, and became identified with the Bridgewater State Normal School as an instructor; was appointed vice-principal in 1896, and in 1906 became principal of the Bridge- water State Normal School, in which capacity he continues to function.

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History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 4

Author: Thompson, Elroy Sherman, 1874- Publication date: 1928 Publisher: New York, Lewis historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 642

Author: Thompson, Elroy Sherman, 1874-
Publication date: 1928
Publisher: New York, Lewis historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 642