History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 7

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 7
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 7
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 7

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

Peter Miller, son of John and Priscilla (Bennett) Miller, was born in Middleboro, March 31, 1750, and died March 15, 1835. He was a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War. He married March 21, 1780, Kezialı Besse, and they were the parents of: 1. Lucy, born 1781. 2. Peter, born 1783. 3. Southworth, born 1785. 4. Alden, born 1786, and of whom further. 5. Jere- miah, born 1788. 6. Mary Tinkham, born 1790. 7. Arza, born 1792. 8. Elizabeth, born 1793. 9. Mary, born 1795.

Alden Miller, son of Peter and Keziah (Besse) Miller, was born February 9, 1786. He was a farmer and was also engaged in the milling business on the old Miller homestead. He married, February 9, 1809, Millison Lovell, who was born in 1784, and died in 1881, daughter of Joseph and Jerusha (Sparrow) Lov- ell. Their children were: 1. Hannah P., born 1809, married Alexander Hackett, of Middleboro. 2. South- ard Harrison, born 1811; married Esther G. Peckham. 3. Alden, born 1814, engaged in various occupations and died at Middleboro. 4. Lucy Ann, born 1816, died 1897; married Andrew Cobb Wood. 5. Samuel, born 1819, died 1821. 6. Lorenzo Theodore, born 1821, died in 1900, of whom further.

Lorenzo Theodore Miller, son of Alden and Milli- son (Lovell) Miller, was born on the old Miller home- stead at Fall Brook, Middleboro, Massachusetts, De- cember 8, 1821. He received the practical education afforded by the local public schools, and was em- ployed on the home farm until he was eighteen years of age. He then resolved to leave the homestead and make his own way in the world. Leaving Middleboro he walked to Fall River, and there found employ- ment in a lumber yard. After a time he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner, and finally, in associa- tion with his brother, Southard H. Miller, engaged in business as a contractor and builder at Fall River. He was the contractor for the construction of many houses and mills .in Fall River and vicinity, among these being the mill known as King Philip's Mill, and Granite Mills No. 1 and No. 2, and several busi- ness blocks in Fall River. He and his brother were skillful craftsmen and sound business men, and they built up a reputation for excellence of workmanship and for honest dealing which caused them to become one of the best-known building and contracting part- nerships in this part of the State. Soon after his success in Fall River had given him an assured place in the business world and had also given him finan- cial freedom, he purchased the old homestead farm at Fall Brook, Middleboro, which was then owned by Seth Miller, and now occupied by Lorenzo T. Miller's son, Andrew Wood Miller. This he greatly beautified, and there he spent his summers until the time of his retirement, when he made it his permanent home. He died May 28, 1900, in his sev- enty-eighth year, and was buried in Oak Grove Cem- etery, at Fall River. Along with his many business responsibilities he found time for active public serv- ice. He gave his support to the Republican party, and in local affairs was always ready to do his share.

Lorenzo Theodore Miller married, August 3, 1844, at Little Compton, Rhode Island, Ellen Manchester (q. v.), daughter of John Manchester, and they be- came the parents of three children: 1. Andrew Wood, born 1845. 2. Lorenzo Theodore, Jr., deceased. 3. John Alden, of whom further. Ellen Manchester Miller died February 2, 1897, and is buried at Oak Grove Cemetery, Fall River, Massachusetts.

John Alden Miller, son of Lorenzo Theodore and Ellen (Manchester) Miller, was born in Tiverton, Rhode Island, March 1, 1856, and is today (1928) liv- ing in Middleboro, Massachusetts. He received a good practical education in the local public schools, and when his school training was completed, he learned the carpenter's trade with his father and brothers, continuing in this connection for some time. Later, however, he decided to engage in business for himself and formed a partnership with Robert O. Hearn, under the firm name of the Fall River Ice

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

Company. The enterprise was successful and the partnership was continued for a period of three years, at the end of which time it was dissolved. Mr. Mil- ler then continued the business alone for eight years. At the end of that time he came to Fall Brook, Mid- dleboro, and purchased the original farm owned by the immigrant ancestor, John Miller. There on the broad acres which had supported the first family of his line in this country, Mr. Miller devoted his time and attention to agricultural interests, to the growing of cranberries and the raising of blooded stock. He was a lover of horses, and among the inmates of his stables were some trotters with records to their credit. For five years he continued to find delight in his farm and in the supervision of its activities, but in 1895, he removed to Middleboro Center and built the beautiful home which he now occupies on South Main Street. After removing to Middleboro Center, for the first ten or twelve years he gave his attention to numerous real estate interests and to extensive cranberry bogs, also to his interest in several of the cotton mills of Fall River. He was a member of the Electric Light Board of Middleboro, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Middlebor- ough Savings Bank. Politically, he gives his support to the principles of the Republican party, in general, but he believes that fitness for the efficient discharge of the duties of the office takes precedence over party affiliations and he does not hesitate to cast his vote in local elections for the man best fitted for the office regardless of party interests. He is a member of the Middleboro Commercial Club, and in addition to the business interests already mentioned is a di- rector and president of the Shove Mills of Fall River. His religious interest is with the Central Congrega- tional Church of Middleboro, of which he is an attendant.

John Alden Miller was married, June 12, 1879, to Lydia Elenah Young, who was born August 25, 1852, in Fall River, Massachusetts, daughter of Benjamin T. and Elizabeth Hathaway (Tew) Young, and grand- daughter of John and Mary (or Polly) (Chase) Young; also granddaughter of Captain Philip and Keziah (Mason) Tew. Mrs. Lydia Elenah Miller died October 12, 1920. Mrs. Miller was a member of the Cabot Club of Middleboro. Mr. and Mrs. Miller were the parents of two sons: 1. Theodore H., born July 3, 1882, a graduate of Harvard University, Bach- elor of Arts degree, class of 1904. He is now serv- ing as secretary and treasurer of the Taylorsville Cotton Mills Company, also of the Miller Manufac- turing Company, and of the Liledown Manufacturing Company of Taylorsville, North Carolina. Theodore H. Miller married Sarah Bruno Viele, of Taylors- ville, North Carolina, and they have two children: Sarah Viele, and Millicent. He is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, a member of Lodge, Chapter and Shrine of Charlotte, North Carolina, and makes his home in Taylorsville, North Carolina. 2. John Alden, Jr., born February 11, 1888; was grad- uated from the Bradford Durfee Textile School of Fall River, in 1911, with the highest standing attained by a student at any textile school in the country in that year. He received the first medal ever awarded to this school by the National Association of Cotton Manufacturers, which has for many years had a fund set aside for the encouragement of excellence of at- tainment in textile schools. John Alden Miller, Jr., married Grace Claire Bates, daughter of Charles Bates, of Middleboro, superintendent of the public schools

here. They are the parents of two children: Con- stance, and Jeanette. Mr. Miller is president of the Miller Manufacturing Company; general manager of the Taylorsville Cotton Mills Company; and is also president of the Liledown Manufacturing Company, these three companies being under the control of the Miller family, John Alden, Sr., Theodore H., and John Alden, Jr. In his fraternal obligations, John Alden Miller, Jr., is a member of the Free and Accepted Ma- sons; Lodge, Chapter and Shrine, of Charlotte, North Carolina.

(The Tew Line).

· The Tew family of Southeastern Massachusetts, is descended from Richard Tew, who was a native of Maidford, Northamptonshire, England, and was a son of Henry Tew, of Maidford. In 1640, Richard Tew came to New England, locating first in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, and in 1654 in Newport, where he spent the remainder of his life. He died in Newport in 1673. He was a member of the Society of Friends, and had recorded upon the Friends' Records his children's births. He married, in England, Mary Clarke, daughter of William Clarke, of Priors Hard- wick, Northamptonshire, and she died in 1687. Their children were: Seaborn, born June 4, 1640, at sea (hence her name), married, January 5, 1658, Samuel Billings, and (second) Owen Higgins; Elnathan, born October 15, 1644, died in 1711; Mary, born August 12, 1647, died 1688, married, December 8, 1670, An- drew Harris; Henry, born in 1654.

Henry Tew, son of Richard, was born in Newport in 1654. He was a prominent man in the affairs of Rhode Island, and succeeded William Clarke as Dep- uty Governor of the Colony. He was a man of wealth and influence and owned a large tract of real estate, cattle, sheep, and was also a slave owner. He died April 28, 1780. He was twice married (first) to Dorcas, who died in 1694, and (second) to Sarah, who died in 1718. His children were; Mary, born October 12, 1680, died May 2, 1752, married, June 10, 1703, William Peckham; Henry, born 1681, died 1731, married Ann Richmond; William, born 1683, died April 5, 1718; Richard, born in 1684; John, mentioned below; Elizabeth, married, September 17, 1712, Ed- ward Smith, and died 1769; Sarah, married Sylvester Sweet; Elisha, born in 1691; Edward, died January 16, 1702; Dorcas, born September 26, 1696, died Feb- ruary 5, 1715; Paul, born September, 1699, died May 24, 1711; Edward, born November 3, 1703, died No- vember 4, 1723.

John Tew, son of Henry, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, and settled in the town of Dighton, Massachusetts, on property which was willed him by his father. He married Sarah Briggs, and their chil- dren, according to Dighton town records, were: Wil- liam, born February 13, 1724; Elisha, born October 15, 1725; Henry, born October 29, 1729; William, born September 12, 1731; Dorcas, born March 26, 1734.

Henry Tew, son of John, married, December 5, 1753, Elizabeth Hathaway, born October 18, 1737.

Henry Tew, Jr., son of Henry and Elizabeth (Hath- away) Tew, made his home in Berkley and there he engaged in farming. He was quite active in the War of the Revolution, and participated in that memorable conflict. He married Abigail Hathaway, born Oc- tober 1, 1767, daughter of Philip and Lucy (Valen- tine) Hathaway. Philip Hathaway was lieutenant

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

of the first foot company of local militia in Free- town. His children were: Philip; Hathaway; Eliza- beth, married, October 21, 1804, Joseph Dean; Sally, married, November 16, 1803, Ichabod Mason; Abigail, married, September 14, 1813, Isaac Sanford.

Philip Tew, son of Henry and Abigail (Hathaway) Tew, was born in the town of Berkley. He was a seafaring man and a sailing master. He married Si- lence Mason, and their children were: Philip Mason, Elizabeth Hathaway, and Hathaway W., and per- haps others.

Elizabeth Hathaway Tew, daughter of Philip and Silence (Mason) Tew, was born in Berkeley, Massa- chusetts. She married Benjamin T. Young, of Fall River, son of John and Mary (or Polly) (Chase) Young, and their children were: Benjamin Mason, died unmarried; Harriett Adeline Tew, who is still living, unmarried; Mary Eliza, married John Brooks Read, and is now dead; Amy Cook, married George E. Emerson of Franklin, Massachusetts; Lydia Hath- away, died aged two years; Hortense Oduska, who was a teacher in Harvard Grammar School, Cam- bridge, Massachusetts; and Lydia Elenah, who mar- ried John A. Miller, of Middleboro.

(The Manchester Line).

The Manchester family of which the late Mrs. Lorenzo Theodore Miller was a member, is one of the best-known families in Rhode Island.

(I) Thomas Manchester, the first of the name to settle in that State, was in Portsmouth as early as 1655. He married Margaret Wood, and they owned land in the town of Tiverton, where one or more of their sons settled. Their children were: Thomas, who settled in Portsmouth; William; John; Stephen; Job, who settled in Dartmouth, Massachusetts; Mary; and Elizabeth.

(II) William Manchester, son of Thomas and Mar- garet (Wood) Manchester, was born in 1654. He mar- ried Mary Cook, daughter of John and Mary (Bor- den) Cook. William Manchester was made a free- man in 1675, and was one of the first settlers of Tiv- erton in 1692, when the town was organized. He died in 1718. Their children were: John, William, Mary, Sarah Deborah, Elizabeth, Margaret, Amy, Susannah, Rebecca and Thomas.

(III) John Manchester, son of William, was born in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He settled in the town of Tiverton with his father and there married, March 22, 1719, Phebe Gray. Their children were: William, born February 9, 1720; Philip, February 11, 1722; John, February 12, 1724; Mary, January 23, 1726; John (2), April 17, 1728; and Isaac, June 27, 1731.

(IV) Isaac Manchester, son of John and Phebe (Gray) Manchester, was born in Tiverton, June 27, 1731. He married, November 1, 1750, Abigail Brown, and their children were: Philip, born August 23, 1751, Sarah, October 1, 1753; Isaac, August 4, 1756: Thomas, April 5, 1759; Abraham, August 8, 1761; John, July 10, 1764; Phebe, August 22, 1766; Abigail, February 9, 1769.

(V) Isaac Manchester, son of Isaac and Abigail (Brown) Manchester, was born August 4, 1756. He made his home in Tiverton, where he was a land- owner. He married, May 11, 1783, Alice Taber, daughter of Jacob and Susannah Taber. Their chil- dren were: John, born May 19, 1784; Susannah, born March 26, 1788, Robert, April 23, 1790; and Isaac, September 21, 1793.

(VI) Captain John Manchester, son of Isaac, was born in Tiverton, May, 19, 1784. He made his home in Little Compton, Rhode Island, where he was a landowner. He was twice married, his second wife being Lydia Seabury, whom he married in Little Compton. She was born in Little Compton, July 15, 1785. They both died in Little Compton and were buried in the Presbyterian Cemetery at Tiverton. Their children were: Hannah, Casindey, Ursula, Wil- liam Henry and Charles (twins), and Ellen.

(VII) Ellen Manchester, daughter of John and Lydia (Seabury) Manchester, was born in Little Compton and there married, August 3, 1844, Lorenzo Theodore Miller (q. v.). She died in Fall River and was buried in Oak Grove Cemetery.

GEORGE WARD STETSON-In the passing of the late George Ward Stetson, the section of Plymouth County including and environing Middle- boro suffered a loss which will long be felt and which cannot easily be recompensed. For more than thirty-six years he had been engaged in general le- gal practice in Middleboro and during that time had not only made for himself a high place in his pro- fession but had also won in an unusually high degree the love and respect of his associates and of his fellow-citizens in Middleboro. A man of brilliant mental powers, he combined with sound knowl- edge and keen wit a charming personality and a heart that was closely in touch with his fellow-men, and his understanding and sympathy went hand in hand with his discernment and his sense of justice.

Mr. Stetson was a descendant of old Colonial stock, tracing back to several of the oldest and best- known families of New England. His grandfather, Captain Peleg Stetson, married Priscilla Ward, daughter of General Ephraim Ward, who was prom- inent in the business affairs of Plymouth County, and who represented Plymouth in the General Court for several years. He served as aide-de-camp on the staff of General Lazell at the time of the threatened invasion of Plymouth, during the War of 1812, and for a period of years after the close of that conflict was connected with the local militia of the State. He was born in 1778, and died April 10, 1856. He married, November 22, 1804, Priscilla Hammond, and they were the parents of the follow- ing children: 1. General Eliab Ward. 2. George Ward. 3. Reverend Ephraim Ward. 4. Priscilla Ward, who married Captain Peleg Stetson, as stated above. 5. A daughter, who married Horace Holmes.

Captain Peleg and Priscilla (Ward) Stetson be- came the parents of Sprague S. Stetson, father of George Ward Stetson. Sprague S. Stetson mar- ried Thalia Weston, daughter of Thomas and Thalia (Eddy) Weston, and their son was George Ward Stetson, of whom further.

George Ward Stetson, son of Sprague S. and Thalia (Weston) Stetson, was born in Lakeville, Massachusetts, February 27, 1866, and died in Middle- boro, Massachusetts, June 1, 1926. He received his early and preparatory education in the local public schools, graduating from Middleboro High School with the class of 1882. The following fall he matriculated in Dartmouth College, from which he was graduated in 1886 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He was not only a brilliant student, but was also interested in the general college activities. The quality of his scholarship is evidenced by the fact that he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

Fraternity, and he was also a member of Alpha Delta Phi. His interest in his college remained with him throughout his life, and his enthusiasm also continued, and it is interesting to note that at the time of his death he was planning to attend the fortieth reunion of his class. After the completion of his college course, Mr. Stetson returned to his father's farm at Lakeville, where he remained for a year, but while engaging in the farm activities and enjoy- ing the out-of-door life he was also looking toward the future and making his decision as to his future field of activity. He decided to enter the legal pro- fession and accordingly began professional study in the Law School of Boston University, in 1888. Dur- ing this period he was also reading law and gaining experience in the office of his uncle, Thomas Weston, a prominent attorney of Boston, and later known as the historian of Middleboro. In 1890 he was grad- uated from the Boston University Law School with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and in the same year was admitted to the Suffolk bar. For seven years after his graduation he remained in his uncle's office in Boston, but during all that time he also had an evening office in Middleboro, where he was gradually building up a satisfactory clientele. Upon the death of Everett Robinson, of Middleboro, much of his patronage came to Mr. Stetson, and this increase in his practice in Middleboro made it possible for him to give up the Boston office and devote his entire time to Middleboro. There he continued for the re- mainder of his life, a period of twenty-nine years of faithful, efficient, and markedly successful profes- sional service. In addition to the care of his steadily growing general practice he also served willingly in public capacity whenever he could thus make his pro- fessional training and experience of use to his fel- lows. For about three years he served as special justice of the Fourth District Court, and in 1900 he was appointed referee in bankruptcy, a responsible and difficult office which he most faithfully and ef- ficiently filled until a few months prior to his death, when failing health made it necessary that he resign. The Fourth District originally comprised Plymouth and Barnstable counties only, but a few years ago was enlarged to include the cities of Fall River, New Bedford, and Taunton, also Bristol County, and the two island counties, thus greatly increasing the re- sponsibilities of the office of referee in bankruptcy. These duties he took care of in connection with his steadily growing general practice. He had his office in the Bank Building, and drew his patronage from Middleboro and from a wide territory surrounding that community. For a time he was associated with Honorable Albert H. Washburn, who is now (1928) United States Minister to Austria, and several years ago he associated with him Fletcher Clark, Jr., under the firm name of Stetson & Clark. He was one of the original members of the board of trustees of the estate of Thomas S. Peirce, and a director in the Middleborough Trust Company.

Heavy as were his professional responsibilities, how- ever, Mr. Stetson was always ready to contribute his share to the work of keeping civic administration in the hands of those who would faithfully and consci- entiously discharge the duties of office, and he him- self accepted many minor local offices in which his general and professional knowledge and experience were of especial value. He was a member of various committees of the town: chairman of the school com- mittee; president of the Old Middleboro Historical

Society, and chairman of the trustees of the Ann White Washburn Scholarship fund, to all of which responsibilities he gave the same careful and expert attention which he gave to his own practice. Fra- ternally, he was affiliated with Mayflower Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Middleboro; Old Colony Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and Bay State Commandery, Knights Templar. He was a member of the Middleboro Commercial Club, and was actively interested in the Young Men's Christian Association, which he served as president and as treasurer of its board of management. During the World War he served on the Legal Advisory Board of the Fourth Plymouth District. He was thoroughly well informed and deeply interested in the early history of his sec- tion of the State, and also in the early family history of the pioneer groups of his section of the State, in- cluding his own. At the time of his death he was president of the family association known as the Stetson Kindred of America. His religious interest was with the Central Baptist Church, of which he was a member and in the work of which he took an active part, serving as treasurer and as a member of its prudential committee. He had also served as su- perintendent of its Sunday school, in which capacity his ability and his attractive personality were of special value, attracting the young and winning their deep respect, as well as their affection. The follow- ing tribute printed in one of the local publications at the time of his death expresses clearly the esteem in which he was held by his fellow-townsmen, and also gives a clear picture of the personality of the man who had been so good a friend to so many of his associates:

Affable, kindly, courteous, broadly tolerant of the rights and opinions of others, democratic in his tastes and in his mode of living, he was recognized by all as one of Middle- boro's foremost citizens. It is doubtful if the death of any citizen, for many years, at least, has called forth so many expressions of genuine regret. As a lawyer he stood high in his profession, and he numbered among his friends many who held a prominent place in legal circles. He was 8 most companionable man, and his friends were legion. He was an excellent raconteur and a pleasing speaker, and was frequently in demand on public occasions, where he acquitted himself with a charm of manner seldom excelled. In his death the town has suffered a well-nigh irreparable loss.

Another local appreciation closes with the follow- ing:

But above all sparkles the personality of the man. Genial, just, sympathetic, tolerant, humorous, human, with a philosophy that reached from the highest to the lowest, he was a charm- ing man to meet, and so democratic that he could be ap- proached by the humblest.

George Ward Stetson was married, June 26, 1896, to Myra Cushing, daughter of the late Hon. M. H. Cushing (q. v.). Mr. and Mrs. Stetson became the parents of four children: 1. Priscilla, who married Stanley F. Alger, of Middleboro. 2. Thalia, who mar- ried Parker H. Kennedy, of Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania. 3. Polly Cushing, who resides in Middleboro. 4. George W. Stetson, of Middleboro. All of the . children survive him.

HON. MATTHEW H. CUSHING-As the years pass and the multiplicity of interests and duties tend ever to more and more obscure our recollection and our appreciation of the lives of those who in earlier years laid the foundations upon which the achieve- ment of the present is built, it is fitting that we pause and look back and make careful record of the careers

PLYMOUTH, NORFOLK AND BARNSTABLE

of those who by living worthily and achieving much have made possible the larger opportunities and the richer attainments of today. Among those who a few years ago were bearing the burdens and carrying for- ward the social, economic, and civic life of Middleboro, was Hon. Matthew H. Cushing, who for thirty-seven years conducted one of the best known and most largely patronized grocery concerns in Middleboro. But he did much more than operate a successful business enterprise. He was also active in almost every field of local affairs, and for several terms represented his district in the State Legislature.

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History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 7

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