USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 59
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 59
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 59
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Benjamin D. Baxter married, at Hyannis, July 22, 1907, Elizabeth W. Thacher, daughter of Warren Thacher, who is deceased, and Annie (Maddox) Eldridge, both of whom were born in Massachusetts. They have two children: Benjamin. D. (3), born July 30, 1908, and Warren T., born March 3, 1910.
J. JOSEPH CAHILL-Determined upon a theat- rical career, Mr. Cahill has been connected with the stage and the theatre continuously. For a number of years he sang on the Keith Vaudeville circuit, and for the past decade has been a prominent theatre manager of Brockton, Massachusetts. He introduced moving pictures in that city, and was part owner of a chain of theatres operating under the name of the General Amusement Company.
J. Joseph Cahill was born at Waukesha, Wiscon- sin, April 5, 1872, son of Michael and Bridget (Dunn) Cahill, both of whom are deceased. The son went to the public schools of Waukesha, and upon completing his local education, went to New York, where he studied music and vocal culture. At the end of two years' preparation he joined John W. McGue and went on the stage of the Keith Circuit. He con- tinued this work for some time, and in the meantime saw great possibilities for moving pictures in Brock- ton. In 1906, he came to Brockton and rented the Ancient Order of Hibernian Hall on Ward Street, ' where he began showing the first pictures that the people of Brockton had seen. He soon became man- ager of the City Theatre of Brockton, and with the development of the industry, became associated with the corporation owning the theatre, and was man- ager of each succeeding house that was built, in each of which he owned a share. The latest and most modern theatre showing the first run pictures is the Brockton City Theatre of which Mr. Cahill is the manager. He is likewise connected with the Brock- ton Fair, in which he is a member of the board of directors. In fraternal circles, he is affiliated with
the local lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus, and is also a member of the Kiwanis Club of Brockton. Mr. Cahill is a Roman Catholic, attending St. Pat- rick's Church in the city and is a member of the choir.
Mr. Cahill married Katherine Clarke of Waukesha, Wisconsin, December 30, 1908, and they are the parents of the following children: 1. Margaret C., born in 1910, a student at Walnut Hill School for Girls. 2. Mary P., born 1912, student at the Brock- ton High School. 3. John Clarke, born 1914, a student of the Brockton High School.
I. FENNO ELLIOT-The beautiful coast resort town of Hyannis has in its midst a prosperous mer- chant and progressive citizen, I. Fenno Elliot, who is actually a professional man of high rank, he bear- ing a medal for the excellent and continucus service rendered by him as division engineer in the con- struction of the Cape Cod Canal. He has also figured prominently in the building of other highly important public and private enterprises in different parts of the country, wherein his engineering skill was both effectual and appreciated. During the World War he was a strong right arm of the government in perfecting a large housing project at the Bath Shipbuilding yards in Maine. His with- drawal from the practice of his profession to the ranks of merchants was brought about through the death of his father-in-law, who had left a consider- able estate, including a well-established business, which required the presence of Mr. Elliot in its con- tinuation and management.
Born in Brunswick, Maine, April 26, 1874, I. Fenno Elliot is a son of Daniel and Sarah M. (Weston) Elliot, both natives of Maine, and the former for fif- ty years engaged as a merchant. The son Fenno was given an excellent preparatory training in the pub- lic schools of brunswick, and then entered Worces- ter (Massachusetts) Polytechnic Institute, from which he was graduated with honors and the degree of Me- chanical Engineer. Then began a professional career in which there have been terms of service conspicuous for their demonstration of engineering ability of pro- nounced standard. He first went with the Hydraulic Power and Manufacturing Company as assistant superintendent of construction at Niagara Falls. New York, and was on that mission for three and cne-half years. Thence he went to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to fill the position of inspector of tur- bine construction at the great Cramp Shipbuilding Works, where he was stationed for two and one- half years. His next connection was with the New York and Richmond Gas Company as superinten- dent of mains, from 1903 to 1909.
In 1909 Mr. Elliot was appointed to the important post of division engineer, on the eastern division, in the construction of the Cape Cod Canal. His work was of such a high order, and his services being con- tinuous during the period of construction, the direc- tors of the Cape Cod Construction Company awarded him a special medal as a visible token of their ap- preciation. His five and one-half years' service in that capacity was followed by an illness of several months, and after his recovery he was with the Moulton Engineering Corporation in construction work in Ontario, Canada, for one and one-half years.
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Then came the World War, and the United States Government was fortunate in obtaining the service of Mr. Elliot through the Emergency Fleet Corpora- tion in the laying out and development of a housing project at Bath, Maine, where he assisted in the in- stallation of a water service in connection with the building of seventy-eight houses and a school build- ing. He had charge of the engineering work in the construction of Hanneford Brothers' Produce Storage Warehouse at Portland, Maine, and then went to St .. Johnsbury, Vermont, where for one and one-half years, up to 1919, he was engaged in the construction of the Cary Maple Sugar plant, the largest of its kind in the world.
In 1922, Mr. Elliot came to Hyannis and took over the coal, wood, hay and grain business established by the late Captain Willis L. Case in 1900. Mr. Elliot is an influential figure in the Hyannis community, in- to whose spirit of local pride and progress he has entered in a most cooperative manner. The good will of the old establishment of Captain Case's day has been retained for the most part by Mr. Elliot, and he has succeeded in making many new firm friends of the business.
In his political alliance, Mr. Elliot is a Republican, but in no sense is he a practical politician, nor an aspirant for public office; rather does he confine his suffrage to the simple duties of citizenship and give undivided attention to his business. He is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, being a member also of the Royal Arch Chapter of that Order. He is an interested and active member of the Hyannis Board of Trade, a member of the Rotary Club, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon College Fraternity and the Portland Club at Portland, Maine. His religious connection is with the Universalist church. Mr. Elliot is fond of taking recreation in the wide open spaces, being a devotee of the hunt and rod and line. Now and then he betakes himself to his favor- ite haunts where he seeks trophies of the chase and water.
Mr. Elliot married, May 27, 1922, Maud Leslie Case, at Hyannis, the daughter of Captain Willis Leslie and Mary E. (Donnell) Case. An appreciation of Captain Case's life and work is to be found in this volume. Mrs. Elliot, on the Childs' (grandmother) side, is a direct descendant of John Howland, who came with the immortal "Mayflower" company. On the maternal line Mrs. Elliot is of Maine Colonial ancestry, and a descendant of collateral families who had their seats in England. Through her great- great-grandfather, Benjamin Donnell, Jr., who served in the American Revolution, she is eligible for the Daughters of the American Revolution.
CAPTAIN WILLIS LESLIE CASE-In that fine array of Cape Cod's sturdy, honest, energetic and gallant sea captains, whose memory makes tender the recollections of days agone, belongs the name of the late Captain Willis L. Case, of Hyannis. He was a master whose career afloat under sheet and halyard entered into the romance of the sea in those days when life on the rolling main demanded every ounce of seamanship that a seaman could summon as he navigated his ship. That Captain Case could sail his vessel with the best and bravest of the mariners of his time is a matter of family record and local his- tory of Cape Cod. At the half-century mark he left
the sea and took up merchandising on land, as a dealer in coal, wood and grain at Hyannis, which business he conducted with marked success until his death. His worthy successor in the business is his son-in-law, I. Fenno Elliot, whose biographical re- view appears in this work also.
Captain Willis Leslie Case was born in Centre- ville, Massachusetts, June 25, 1850, son of Philander and Lucy Parker (Childs) Case. On the Childs' side he was a direct descendant in two lines from John Howland and Elizabeth (Tilly) Howland. John Howland and Elizabeth Tilly came in the "May- flower;" she the daughter of John Tilly, who with his wife came in that ship also. John Howland's name is the thirteenth on the "Compact," signed in the cabin of the "Mayflower" at Cape Cod, on that historic November 11, 1620.
When Captain Case was fourteen years old, his father died, and the son and his mother came to Hyannis to live. He had to work hard as a boy-he had very little time for play and a little for some schooling. He was accustomed to making long visits to his grandfathers, Samuel Childs, of Barnstable, and Lot Case, of Centreville. When he had turned fourteen he went to sea as a cabin-boy with his uncle, John Case, on a trip to the Mediterranean Sea, and from that time until he was fifty of age he was a mariner.
At quite an early age he was given command of the schooner "Walter B. Chester." In 1883, the three- masted schooner "Josiah R. Smith" was built for him at the Deering and Donnell yard in Bath, Maine. In 1894 he had built at the Donnell yard in Bath the four-masted schooner, "Independent," which he commanded until he left the sea to engage in the grain and coal business at Hyannis, in 1900.
Captain Case married, in 1881, at Bath, Maine, Mary E. Donnell, of Maine Colonial stock, and con- nected with the Ede and Hudson families of England. Her great-great-grandfather, Benjamin Donnell, served in the Revolutionary War. To Captain and Mrs. Case were born two daughters: Maud Leslie, who married I. Fenno Elliot; and Lillian P., who died in 1912.
Captain Case was a highly respected citizen of his community, who exhibited an active interest in town and village affairs. He was identified with the Free and Accepted Masens. He died April 1, 1919, follow- ing an illness of some months. His memory endures in the affections of family and friends, the annals of Hyannis and in this history of the region he loved so dearly.
WILLIAM L. FITZGERALD-A prominent and active figure in the amusement and theatrical circles * of Cape Cod, William L. Fitzgerald has been en- gaged in the motion picture business in Hyannis since 1920, during which time he has done much to foster the cultural advancement of the community through an appreciation for the more artistic and better-class productions which he secures for the theatre-going public. At the present time, Mr. Fitz- gerald is treasurer of the Cape Cod Theatres, In- corporated, which concern controls the theatrical business of this village, owning and operating the Idlehour and the Hyannis theatres.
Mr. Fitzgerald was born July 3, 1878, at Laconia, New Hampshire, son of John Fitzgerald, who is re-
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tired, and Johanna (O'Brien) Fitzgerald, who is de- ceased. John Fitzgerald and his wife were born in Ireland and he was engaged in landscape gardening at Laconia until giving up actual business.
William L. Fitzgerald was educated in the public schools of Laconia, and after finishing his formal education, obtained a position in a drugstore. In 1905, he became connected with the New England Telephone Company, and for two years traveled through Northern New Hampshire and Vermont as a member of the contract department; later he was transferred to New Bedford as a special agent in the plant department, engaged in the responsible position of securing rights-of-way and adjusting claims, re- maining in that position until 1920. At that time, he formed a partnership with James A. Collins and John W. Spaulding and they purchased the Idlehour Theatre at Hyannis from William E. C. Warr of Wareham. The three men formed the Olympic Amusement Company, each having an equal share, and Mr. Fitzgerald, as manager, immediately set to work to enlarge and improve the theatre, which had been built in 1912. The enterprise proved an im- mediate success, receiving the approval and patron- age of the entire community, and after the first year, Mr. Fitzgerald bought out Mr. Collins' share and the following year, obtained Mr. Spaulding's interest, thereby becoming sole owner of the busi- ness with Mrs. Fitzgerald. On September 21, 1927, Mr. Fitzgerald and George R. Moore organized the Cape Cod Theatres, Incorporated, the officers of which are: George R. Moore, president; Alice R. Moore, vice-president; Bertha M. Fitzgerald, secretary; and William L. Fitzgerald, treasurer. This corporation leases the Idlehour Theatre and the Hyannis Theatre. which latter was built in 1923 and operated by Mr. Moore, and now open only during the spring, summer and fall, while the Idlehour is operated all the year round. These theatres are a credit to the town and are indirectly a great force in the progress and advancement of the community by attracting people from all parts of the Cape. Mr. Fitzgerald takes a deep and sincere interest in all affairs of the town and he is always eager to promote its welfare, and he is able to execute many of his splendid and valuable ideas in his position as a member of the Hyannis Town Planning Board and as vice-president of the Rotary Club. In politics, he has always followed the princi- ples of the Democratic party, and from 1900 to 1904, was a member of the City Council at Laconia. He is prominent in fraternal circles, being treasurer of Father McSwiney Council, No. 2525, Knights of Columbus of Hyannis, and a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks. He is an enthu- siastic member of the local Chamber of Commerce and serves on the board of management of the Board of Trade. His religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic Church of St. Francis Xavier. Mr. Fitzger- ald finds recreation from active affairs in sports and is a member of the Hyannisport Golf Club. During the World War, he was a member of the Massachu- setts State Guard.
William L. Fitzgerald married, October 12, 1909, at Fall River, Bertha M. Clarkin. daughter of James and Delia (Carney) Clarkin. both of Fall River. Mr. Clarkin is a locomotive engineer, engaged in the service of the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad, running between Boston and New Haven.
THOMAS OTIS-Prominent in every line of en- deavor, Thomas Otis occupies a foremost position in the business, professional, fraternal and social circles of Barnstable County. As an attorney-at-law he is recognized by his professional associates as a brilliant practitioner; he has received many honors, political and civic, from his fellow-citizens; has ever been a leader in all projects for the development and ad- vancement of his community, and holds high rank in most of the leading fraternal organizations.
Mr. Otis was born in New Bedford, Bristol County, February 24, 1887, the son of Edmund Gray and Alice (Butman) Otis, both descendants of old New England families. He obtained his early education in the pub- lic schools of Fairhaven and later attended the Friends' Academy at New Bedford. In 1905 he grad- uated from Tabor Academy, Marion, after which he entered the University of Maine Law School. He was in this latter institution for one year, after which he entered Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Maine, graduating in 1910 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then entered the Law School of Yale University and graduated in 1913 with his degree of Bachelor of Laws.
He was admitted to the practice of law before the bar of the State of Massachusetts in 1913, and to practice in the Federal courts in the following year. For one year, during 1913 and 1914, he was associated as an attorney-at-law with Crapo, Clifford and Pres- cott, counselors-at-law, in New Bedford, and during 1915 and 1916 he engaged in practice by himself in the same city. In the latter year he located in Hyannis, where he has maintained offices ever since, building up an extensive and influential connection.
In 1914 Mr. Otis was elected a member of the City Council of New Bedford, representing Ward Number Four. In 1916 he was an alternate delegate-at-large from the Sixteenth Massachusetts Congressional District to the Republican National Convention at Chicago, Illinois. On April 4, 1917, he was appointed clerk of the District Court at Barnstable, when that office was created, and received appointment as the first clerk by Governor Samuel W. McCall for a term of five years, and was reappointed to the same office for a similar term by Governor Channing H. Cox, on April 4, 1922. He resigned the clerkship on April 9, 1924, and was appointed by Governor Cox to the post of Special Justice of the First District Court of Barnstable. Acting Governor Calvin Coolidge ap- pointed Mr. Otis to the office of Public Administra- tor for the county of Barnstable on December 24, 1918, to serve for five years, and Governor Cox re- appointed him to the same office, December 24, 1923. In 1920, Mr. Otis was again elected as an alternate delegate to the Republican National Convention, which was held that year at Cleveland, Ohio, he being instructed for Calvin Coolidge as president candi- date. In 1926 and 1927 he was elected and thereafter made chairman of the Republican Committee for the town of Barnstable, and was a delegate, during the same years, from the town of Barnstable to the Mas- sachusetts State Republican Convention.
Mr. Otis has been most active in real estate de- velopment in Hyannis, where he is part owner of the beautiful sub-divisions known as "Glenmore" and "Ridgewood." He is a director of the Cape Cod Co- operative Bank at Yarmouthport, and is president and director of the Hyannis Co-operative Bank. He is also a member of the Corporation of The New
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Bedford Five Cents Savings Bank, and of the New Bedford Institution for Savings. In fraternities, clubs and civic associations, Mr. Otis is affiliated with the following: Alpha Rho Chapter of Kappa Sigma Fraternity; Theta Nu Upsilon, one of the sophomore societies; Gamma Eta Gamma, the legal fraternity of the University of Maine; Phi Alpha Delta and Book and Gavel, of Yale University; United Lodge, No. 8, Free and Accepted Masons, of Brunswick, Maine; Franklin Chapter, No. 2, Royal Arch Masons, of New Haven, Connecticut; New Bedford Council, Royal and Select Masters; Sutton Commandery, No. 16, Knights Templar, New Bedford; Fall River Lodge of Perfection; the Samuel G. Lawrence Council, Princes of Jerusalem, Fall River; St. Andrew Chap- ter, Rose Croix, Fall River; Massachusetts Consis- tory, Sublime Princes of the Royal Secret, thirty- second degree, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, Boston. Mr. Otis is also a member of the Barnstable County Bar Asso- ciation; the Hyannis Board of Trade; the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, and is affiliated with Cape Cod Lodge, No. 226, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is a member of the Wamsutta Club, of New Bedford; the Shrine Club of Southeastern Mas- sachusetts at New Bedford; the University Club, Boston; the Saturday Night Club, Hyannis; the Bass River Golf Club, South Yarmouth; and the Hyannis- port Golf Club, Hyannisport.
During the World War Mr. Otis served on the local Legal Advisory Board and was active in all the various drives and war charities. He has affiliations overseas, for he is descended from John Otis, who came from Barnstable, Devonshire, England, in 1635, settled for a short time in Hingham and later aided in locating the township of Barnstable here. The main recreation of Mr. Otis is golf and his hobby is the collecting of postage stamps. He is possessor of a very fine collection, started by his grandfather, Thomas Otis, who was a well-known collector in his day. In addition to his other business affiliations, Mr. Otis is a director of the Scudder Brothers Coal Company, a concern which has many yards through- out the State. He is also president of the Trowel Club, of Barnstable; a social Masonic organization.
On December 26, 1914, Mr. Otis married, at West Barnstable, Elise Washington, daughter of William F. and Abbie Louise (Crocker) Makepeace. To this union have been born two daughters: 1. Mary, born August 24, 1916. 2. Priscilla, born December 3, 1925. Mr. Otis and his family are members of the Federa- ted Church, at Hyannis, where they reside.
FREDERIC F. SCUDDER-Occupying a prom- inent place in the business life of this section, Frederic F. Scudder of Hyannis is sole owner of the F. F. Scudder Coal Company, and in addition, finds time to devote to the civic and social affairs of the town, being ever actively interested in everything that tends to the progress and welfare of its citizens and the improvement and prosperity of the community
Mr. Scudder was born at Osterville. July 7, 1891, son of Walter Scott Scudder, born at Osterville, 1860, and Mary (Crosby) Scudder, born at Centerville, 1862, both of whom are living. Walter Scott Scudder was engaged for a number of years in the livery business and later entered the coal and grain trade,
being successful in all his undertakings by reason of his ability and energy, and he is now living retired.
Frederic F. Scudder received his education in the public schools of Osterville, and after high school, entered the employ of the Simplex Wire and Cable Company, Cambridge, as a draughtsman. He con- tinued in this position for two and a half years, ad- vancing steadily and winning the commendation of his employers. Returning to Osterville in 1914, he became associated with his father in the latter's coal business, and this partnership lasted until 1917, when he organized and founded the F. F. Scudder Coal Company at Hyannis. Shortly after this, the United States entered the World War, and Mr. Scudder served as civilian quartermaster of the U. S. S. "Da- kotan," which vessel was engaged in the hazardous work of transporting troops from this country to the scene of the great conflict. At the conclusion of the war, Mr. Scudder returned to his business at Hyannis and has since conducted a flourishing and increasing business, his success being due to his keen knowledge of commercial affairs and a courte- ous, affable manner. Taking a sincere interest in all civic activities of his community, Mr. Scudder, who is a Republican in political affiliation, is a Park Commissioner of the town of Barnstable, assistant chief of the Hyannis Volunteer Fire Department and ex-president of the Hyannis Board of Trade. A com- petent and skilled musician, he organized and is the present leader of the Hyannis Boys' Band, and in fraternal and social circles, he is a popular member of the Scottish Rite degree in Masonry, member of the Saturday Night Club, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and an active member of the Osterville Yacht Club. He finds great recreation from all cares in the pleasures of yachting and boating.
Frederic F. Scudder married, at Cambridge, May 11, 1917, Ethel Murray, daughter of Robert P. Mur- ray, a prominent florist, and Maria (Bryan) Mur- ray, both of whom were born in Prince Edwad Is- land. Their children are: 1. Harriet E., born May, 1918. 2. Robert F., born December, 1919. 3. Frederic B., born October, 1921. 4. Barbara, born October, 1923. 5. Richard M., born September, 1926.
DR. DAVID G. UNDERWOOD-For more than sixteen years Dr. David G. Underwood has been engaged in general medical practice in Hingham. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland, and before coming to Hingham was engaged in practice in Bradford, New Hampshire, for some years.
David G. Underwood was born in Westminster, Vermont, February 12, 1870, son of George H. Un- derwood, who was a farmer and a machinist, and of Sarah Ann (Gleason) Underwood. He attended the public schools of Westminster, Vermont, and Ver- mont Academy, and having decided to enter the med- ical profession, went to Baltimore, where he became a student in the University of Maryland, from which he was graduated with the class of 1894, receiving at that time the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Hav- ing completed his professional training he began practice in Bradford, New Hampshire, where he was successfully engaged in general practice for a period of fourteen years. At the end of that time he came to Hingham, where he opened an office in 1911, and where he has since been engaged in practice. He is known as a skilled practitioner and for many years has been taking care of a very large practice drawn
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