History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 40

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 40
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 40
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 40

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ance activities under his own name, so continuing to the present. He is now the oldest in point of serv- ice, of any insurance man in Rockland.

The president of the Rockland Savings Bank, Mr. Phelps is also a member of the board of directors of the Rockland Trust Company. A Republican in his political convictions, Mr. Phelps is a staunch as- sociate in all matters pertaining to his party and to the general civic advance; and he was elected a Re- presentative from his District to the State Legislature in 1905-6. He has served seven years on the School Board. During the World War, he was one of the foremost exponents of service on the part of all in- stitutions and organizations in behalf of the United States Government, and he received his certificate as one of the "four-minute" men of the time.

Fraternally, Mr. Phelps is affiliated with St. John Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; with the Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows; and with the Knights of Pythias; and he is also a member of the Sons of Veterans, and of the Union Glee Club. His re- ligious faith is that of the Congregational church, and he is a member of its board of trustees.

Amos A. Phelps married, April 29, 1891, Nettie J. Torrey, of Rockland, daughter of Charles W. and Hannah (Smith) Torrey, and they have two sons: Charles Stuart, who represented Rockland in the State Legislature in 1925; and Edward J., who is a graduate of Brown University.

HENRY MORGAN WHITE-As publisher and owner of the "Rockland Independent," Henry Mor- gan White has been closely identified with the in- terests of Rockland since 1913. Previous to that time he had been publisher and owner of newspapers pub- lished in Torrington, Connecticut; in Boston, Massa- chusetts, and in Dorchester, also in Lee, same State, and his experience in these localities has been of sub- stantial service in making the "Rockland Independent" the popular weekly which it has become.

Henry Morgan White was born in Elba, New York, June 24, 1847, son of George H. White, a native of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, who was engaged in farming and who died in 1885, and of Eliza (Mor- gan) White, a native of Wilbraham, Massachusetts, who died in 1892. He received his early education in the public schools and then continued his studies in Franklin Academy, at the age of seventeen. When his academic course was completed he found employ- ment in a cutlery factory in Northampton, and that connection he maintained for a period of thirteen years, rising to be assistant superintendent. At the end of that time he made a change both in location and in occupation, going to New York City, where he entered the employ of a hardware concern in the capacity of salesman. Five years later he went to Tor- rington, Connecticut, and purchased a local publica- tion known as "The Register," which he later con- verted into a daily paper of the same name. He had by this time become thoroughly interested in the newspaper publishing business, and determined to get as wide an experience as possible in this line of ac- tivity. He also found that it was possible to buy, build up, and sell at a satisfactory profit. Accordingly he went to Dorchester, where he owned and pub- lished a publication known as "The Beacon." Still later he went to Lee, Massachusetts, where he re- mained in the publishing business for a period of eleven years. At the end of that time, in 1913, he came to Rockland and purchased the "Rockland In-

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dependent," which he has continued to successfully publish since that time. Mr. White owns the build- ing and a modern, fully equipped newspaper plant. It is a weekly publication and at the present time (1928) has a circulation of about fifteen hundred. It gathers all the local news, publishes various articles of general interest, and carries an extensive advertis- ing patronage. It is one of the well-known and thor- oughly well-established local publications of this sec- tion of the county, and Mr. White sees to it that it is kept thoroughly "up to the minute" in general character, as well as in the handling of its news items. Politically, Mr. White gives his support to the prin- ciples and the candidates of the Republican party, and he has always taken an active interest in public affairs, having been a member of the Connecticut State Legislature. He was formerly executive secre- tary of the Rockland Welfare Association; is a mem- ber of the Kiwanis Club; associate of McPherson Post, Grand Army of the Republic; member of the Boston Congregational Club; executive treasurer of Mount Pleasant Cemetery Association; member of the Park Commission, and a member of the executive committee of Pilgrim Association of forty-five Con- gregational churches for eleven years. He has been very prominently identified with the State Commis- sion of Forestation of Massachusetts, and with the various civic organizations of Rockland, and is pop- ular and respected as a thoroughly public-spirited citizen. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club, the Commercial Club, and the Merchants' Association, and his religious affiliation is with the Congregational church, which he serves as a member of the board of deacons, and as assistant superintendent of the Sun- day school.

Henry Morgan White was married, in Brooklyn, New York, in 1879, to H. Miriam Cole, of New York City, who passed away in 1917, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John B. Cole.

REV. CARLETON A. BURGESS-Among those who have contributed generously to the work of mak- ing Rockland a better place in which to live is Rev. Carleton A. Burgess, pastor of the Baptist church of this town. Mr. Burgess has had charge of the church since 1912, and he has made his pastorate a period not only of growth and development for his church but of service to the community as well.

Carleton A. Burgess was born in Walton County, Nova Scotia, June 1, 1871, and received his early edu- cation in the local public schools. When his high school course was completed he prepared for college in Worcester Academy, and then matriculated in Brown University, where he continued his studies for two years. He had early chosen the ministry as his field of labor and at the end of his second college year left and began study in Newton Theological School, from which he was graduated with the class of 1899. He was ordained as a minister of the Baptist church, October 17, 1900, and in that year took charge of his first pastorate, at Cheshire. Massachusetts, where he remained from 1900 to 1903. His second pastorate was at Quidnessett, Rhode Island, 1903-1905, and his third at South Church, Providence, Rhode Island. There he rendered most efficient and valu- able service from 1905 to 1912, a period of seven years, at the end of which time he came to Rockland as pastor of the Baptist church. During the sixteen years of his service here he has built up the church, strengthened its spiritual life, and contributed freely

to the advancement of the interests of Rockland. He has used his influence and his ability in ways which have contributed very largely to the civic betterment of the place, and Rockland is today a better place in which to live because of the ministrations of Rev. Mr. Burgess. He was one of the "four-minute" speakers during the World War, and also served as one of the committee of three appointed to look after fuel conser- vation in Rockland. He has always supported gen- erously any civic undertaking which promised ad- vancement for Rockland, and he has won the respect and the regard of the residents of Rockland in general, regardless of their church affiliations. Fraternally, he is identified with Upton Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and his political preferment is for the Re- publican party. He keeps in touch with pastoral work throughout the country through membership in the Ministers' Association of Greater Boston, and in sev- eral other professional societies.

Rev. Carleton A. Burgess was married, in 1900, to Evelyn Estelle Burgess, daughter of William and Estelle (Peirce) Burgess. Mr. and Mrs. Burgess are the parents of one daughter, Hope Elizabeth, who married J. Walter Wilson, a graduate of Brown Uni- versity, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and holds membership in Phi Beta Kappa and Sigma Psi College fraternities. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson have one daughter, Margaret Elizabeth.

EDGAR H. THOMPSON is a leader in the real estate and insurance business, connected with one of the largest and oldest concerns in Brockton, known as the Thompson Insurance Agency.

Edgar H. Thompson was born in Brockton, June 10, 1879. the son of William M. and Julia B. (Hay- ward) Thompson. He received his education in the Brockton public schools, graduating from the Brock- ton High School in 1898, and then attending Brown University. After receiving his schooling, he entered the employ of his father in the insurance and real estate business. On the death of William M. Thomp- son, in 1910. he succeeded to the business of W. M. Thompson & Company, which was established in 1852 by Sumner A. Hayward, Edgar H. Thompson's grandfather. Mr. Thompson is the third generation to control this business. His ability as a fire under- writer has been recognized and he was elected vice- president by the Abington Mutual Fire Insurance Company.

Mr. Thompson has been prominent in the develop- ment of real estate in Brockton; building a large brick building on Main Street. corner of White Avenue. and was instrumental in developing business south of Belmont Street on Main Street. Mr. Thompson is a member of Paul Revere Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons: Satucket Royal Arch Chapter; Bay State Commandery, Brockton Grotto, Aleppo Temple, Brockton Country Club, Thorney Lea Golf Club, Duxbury Yacht Club and Commercial Club.

Edgar H. Thompson was married, September 25, 1908, to Mary Eleanor Parmenter, daughter of Ira E. and Emma S. (Huntington) Parmenter, and they now reside at No. 194 Newbury Street, Brockton, Massachusetts.

JOHN WILSON SPROUL-Few men have been better known or more highly esteemed in the town of Abington than was the late John Wilson Sproul, who, in addition to holding many important town offices was postmaster of Abington for a longer term than

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any other who has ever served in that capacity, his term of incumbency in that office extending from 1871 to the time of his death, March 9, 1917, with the ex- ception of two terms of four years each. He was a veteran of the Civil War, and prominent in town affairs, and for many years conducted a prosperous men's furnishing business.

John Wilson Sproul was born in South Abington, Massachusetts, July 6, 1845, son of John and Sarah (Wilson) Sproul, and spent practically his entire life in the town in which he was born. He attended the public schools, and then, when his school training was completed, learned the trade of the tailor, which he followed in Abington for some years. In 1871 he was appointed postmaster of Abington, and that official position he filled most efficiently. Meantime, for many years, he conducted a men's furnishing business in Abington, and also took an active part in its public affairs. He was town clerk, held most of the local offices at various times, and it is a matter of record that he was usually consulted by everybody concern- ing town affairs. He was secretary and treasurer of Mount Vernon Cemetery Corporation for twenty-nine years. His long association with the affairs of that particular community, along with his genuine interest and public spirit, as well as his skill in reading the motives that underlie human conduct, enabled him to render valuable service as a counselor, and his sound judgment came to be one of the town's valuable as- sets. Upon the outbreak of the Civil War he enlisted as a private in Company E, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, and was honorably discharged at the close of the conflict with the rank of sergeant. He was a member of and Commander of McPherson Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Abington, and for years one of its most active workers. His religious affiliation was with the Universalist church.

John Wilson Sproul was married, at South Abing- ton, March, 1870, to Caroline F. Harris, of Abington, Massachusetts, daughter of James H. and Mary A. (Kelley) Harris. Mr. and Mrs. Sproul became the parents of five children: 1. Henry D. 2. Mary W., who married George E. Gomley (q.v.). 3. Matthew C. 4. Carrie E., died in infancy. 5. Fred A.

Mary, second child of John Wilson Sproul, mar- ried George E. Gomley at Abington, Massachusetts, September 15, 1897. Mrs. Gomley has been most active in social, civic, and philanthropic affairs in Abington, and has accomplished there a most valuable work. She is president of the Woman's Club and was its secretary for two years; chairman of the local Red Cross organization, which she served as secretary during the World War; former president of the Woman's Relief Corps; president of the Visiting Nurse Association; vice-president of the Massachu- setts State and county president of the King's Daughters, and she has also served as a delegate to innumerable conventions. Mrs. Gomley is secretary of the Mount Vernon Cemetery Corporation, taking office after the death of her father. She was the first woman to be appointed by selectmen to fill a vacancy on the School Board-later being elected to that of- fice. All these official positions represent but a part of the work achieved by Mrs. Gomley, and of the generosity with which she has contributed of her time and ability, as well as of her means, to the gen- eral welfare of the community, those who have been associated with her bear earnest testimony. She is affiliated with and a worker in the First Universal- ist Church. Her public activities, however, have not

superseded her responsibilities as a wife, mother, and home keeper. Mr. and Mrs. Gomley are the parents of three children: 1. Carolyn Harris, who was born December 26, 1899. 2. Josephine Elizabeth, born Jan- uary 19, 1901. 3. Eleanor Wilson.

CHARLES H. WILKES, Abington attorney, who has done much to promote athletics in that township, was born there, February 2, 1888, a son of B. Ernest and Margaret E. (Smith) Wilkes, both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes, Sr., were born in Abington, and died there; the mother in 1908; and the father in 1917. B. Ernest Wilkes was for many years identified with the shoe industry in Massachusetts.

Charles H. Wilkes received his early education in the public and high schools of Abington, and gradu- ated from the Law College of Boston University with the class of 1913, receiving the degree of Bache- lor of Laws. He was admitted to the bar that year, and began the practice of his profession with the firm of J. W., T. F. & J. J. McAnarney, of Quincy, Massachusetts. He met with success from the very beginning, and remained with this company for a period of five years, after which, in 1918, he returned to his native town and began legal practice. Now, in connection with a broad general practice, he is also filling the office of attorney for the North Abing- ton Co-operative Bank. During the World War, Mr. Wilkes served as a member of the Legal Advisory Board of Abington and Quincy. In political views, Mr. Wilkes is an Independent, and he has served as chairman of the Board of Selectmen of Abington Township. He is a past president of both the Board of Trade and the Firemen's Relief Association. Mr. Wilkes is a member of the Plymouth Bar Association, and is practicing at the bar of that county. In the way of sports and recreations, he has done much to raise the standard of athletics in the schools and the town of Abington, and himself is an athlete of ability. He is affiliated, fraternally, with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Improved Order of Red Men; and he is past president of the Franklin Club.

Charles H. Wilkes married, in 1917, Bertha F. Weatherbee, a daughter of Fred and Sarah (Lord) Weatherbee, of Brockton, Massachusetts, and Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes have one daughter: Alice F., born on December 5, 1918. Mr. Wilkes and his family reside in Abington.

EVERETT D. WILKES, respected citizen of Abington, Massachusetts, and owner and operator of a flourishing real estate and insurance business in that township, was born on October 10, 1855. at Abington, a son of Bela and Jane (Bicknell) Wilkes, both descendants of pioneer Massachusetts families. Both parents were born in Abington, and both died there; the mother in 1905; and the father in 1907. Bela Wilkes was president of a box manufactory near Abington.

Everett D. Wilkes received his early education in the public and high schools of Abington and gradu- ated from a business college in Massachusetts, after which he became a clerk in a drygoods store. He later was bookkeeper for the Gurney Tack Com- pany, with whom he remained for more than eight years. He then resigned to enter partnership in the firm of French-Hall, tack manufacturers, which con- tinued for three years. His retirement from that con- cern marked the turning point in his life, for Mr.

a. Loving Such.

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Wilkes entered business for himself, handling real estate and insurance, which he is still continuing. Mr. Wilkes has also assumed a number of outside conimercial responsibilities, and is a member of the Abington Savings Bank Corporation. In his political views, he is a supporter of the Democratic party, and in the fall of 1923, was elected member of the Abington Board of Assessors, was later appointed chairman, and in 1926, was again elected to this board, his chairmanship to continue. During the World War, Mr. Wilkes served on various boards and did much to forward the work done at home to support troops at the front. For the last forty-two years Mr. Wilkes has been affiliated with John Cutler Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and he also holds membership in the Order of the Eastern Star; the Improved Order of Red Men; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and is a past president and member of the Franklin Club.

Everett D. Wilkes married, in 1924, Pearl N. Damon, daughter of George S. Nelson and Grace T. (Thorndike) Damon, of Grafton, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkes now reside in Abington, and attend the Christian Science Church.

WILLIAM WALLACE LUNT-The preserva- tion of highly valuable historical material of past and present generations is a service to posterity the importance of which cannot be estimated in words. The disposition and capacity of those charged with this work are endowments as real and constructive as those that have been bestowed upon exponents of other professions and callings. In this field of en- deavor is to be found an enthusiastic and zealous cooperator in William Wallace Lunt, curator and one of the founders and organizers of the Hingham His- torical Society, of Hingham, Massachusetts, a town replete with historical lore and material rich in antiquity. No other resident of the community knows his Hingham better than Mr. Lunt, who on all sides is accounted a remarkable repository of information regarding the town from its earliest days to the present. Incidentally, Mr. Lunt is treasurer of the town of Hingham, so that in a dual manner he safeguards the historical and monetary values on which the people rely for their intrinsic worth and usefulness.

Born in Charlestown, Massachusetts, December 17, 1855, William Wallace Lunt is the son of Charles B. and Marie (Soisson) Lunt. His father, born in Boston, died in 1884, was an officer in the United States Navy; the mother, a native of France, died in 1882. He attended the public schools of Boston and finished his academic training at Phillips Academy. He then acquired a commercial education at Bur- dett's Business College in Boston. Having, as has been indicated, elected a business career, he joined the staff of a leading manufacturing house in Boston, with which he was associated as head accountant from 1882 until 1923, a period filled with marked and increasing usefulness, and in which he attained the rank of expert in his profession. In the last- named year, after forty-one years, he severed that connection to engage in the public service as the chief financial officer of Hingham, to which post he was elected as the successor of A. W. Burr. As a master of accountancy and finance, he has developed an enviable reputation for being a most efficient watchdog of the Hingham treasury.

In political faith he is a Republican. In his re- lation to the State and Federal governments he is a patriot; in the World War period he participated actively in all the Liberty Loan campaigns, and thus performed his bit in assisting the associated nations to a victorious conclusion of the war. In fraternal life, he is affiliated with the Order of the Cincinnati, Sons of the American Revolution, Sons of the Revo- lution, Order of St. George, Society of the War of 1812, Society of Colonial Wars, Society of American Wars, and other organizations. His religious asso- ciation is with the Unitarian Church of Hingham, of which he is treasurer.

Mr. Lunt married, in 1880, Lizzie Wilder, of Hing- ham, daughter of William Wallace and Eliza Priscilla (Peaks) Wilder.

A. LORING SMITH-Among Brockton's business assets is the up-to-date Hewett-Smith Jewelery Com- pany, of which A. Loring Smith is sole proprietor.

A. Loring Smith was born August 19, 1876, at Weymouth, the son of Albert H. (a shoemaker) and Ella F. (Hunt) Smith, both now deceased. He at- tended the Brockton public schools until 1889, when he was engaged as a clerk in the U. C. Smith Com- pany, jewelers. This postion he held until 1908, when, on the death of U. C. Smith, he was appointed manager and held this position until 1925, when he purchased the interest of the late Herman S. Hewett in the jewelry business of H. S. Hewett Company and continued business under the firm name of Hew- ett-Smith Company, with the store at No. 198 Main Street, Brockton, where he is now located. He is a Republican, and a member of the Masonic fraternal bodies up to and including the thirty-second degree; a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Rotary and Commercial clubs and the Chamber of Commerce. In religious circles he is a Methodist.

A. Loring Smith was married, March 21, 1921, to Ivy I. Holoway, and they have two children: Doro- thy H., and Muriel B.

MYRA JUDSON LANE, daughter of Alonzo Lane, and granddaughter of Jenkins Lane, of the town of Rockland, Massachusetts, is the sole sur- viving member of her immediate family in Rockland. The Lane family is one of the oldest families in the State, identified with the early days of America's birth.

(I) The first American ancestor of record was William Lane, of the County of Norfolk, England, who emigrated to America, according to one author- ity, as early as 1635, and upon his arrival in the new world, chose as the place of his residence, Dorchester, Massachusetts. William Lane was a proprietor at Dorchester in the year 1637. He was a freeman, a virtuous and good citizen. Dorchester established the first public school in the country to be supported by taxation in 1639. William Lane and other pro- prietors relinquished in 1641, their individual grants of Thompsons Island to the town of Dorchester for the maintenance of a free school. His will, which was proved on July 6, 1654, makes provisions for two sons and four daughters: 1. Elizabeth, who mar- ried Thomas Rider. 2. Mary, who married (first), Joseph Long, and (second), Farnsworth. 3. Annis, who married Thomas Lincoln. 4. George. 5. Sarah, who married Nathaniel Baker. 6. Andrew.

(II) Andrew Lane resided in Hingham, and was a

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large landowner. He married Trypheny, who died on January 2, 1706-08; Andrew Lane died on May 1, 1675, aged about ninety-five years. Children: An- drew (2), of whom further; Mary, Abigail; John; Ephraim; Deborah; Joshua; Caleb; Hannah.

(III) Andrew (2) Lane was baptized on August 16, 1646, and died on December 4, 1717, in his sev- enty-first year. He married, on December 5, 1672, Elizabeth, daughter of Mark Eames, who died on November 21, 1727, aged eighty-three years. Children, all born in Hingham: John, Elizabeth, Andrew, Bethia, Isaac, Jonathan, of whom further; and Sol- omon.

(IV) Jonathan Lane, born on December 27, 1685, at Hingham, died there on October 5, 1777, in his ninety-second year. He married, on October 30, 1718, Abigail, born on March 3, 1693-94, died on May 26, 1763, aged sixty-nine years, who was daughter of Thomas and Abigail (Lincoln) Andrews. Children, all born in Hingham: Jonathan, David, Daniel, of whom further; Moses, Abigail, Ruth, and Caleb.

(V) Daniel Lane born on May 28, 1724, at Hing- ham, died on March 13, 1816, at East Abington, Mas- sachusetts, in his ninety-second year. He married (first), on May 19, 1745-46, Lydia, baptized October 8, 1727, at Hingham, daughter of Samuel and Lydia (Whiting) Tower. Daniel married (second), on August 14, 1773, Bethia Cushing. A cooper by oc- cupation, Daniel Lane removed his family from Hingham to Abington about 1748. Children (all by first wife): Lydia, Susanna, Olive, Ruth, Christiana, Charles, of whom further; and Nabby.

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History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 40

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