USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 77
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 77
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 77
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R.Q. Brown
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der private tutorage; and he owes no small degree of his success to his father's counsel and to his own practical interest in his work. He is a trustee of the Plymouth Five Cents Savings Bank; and in political matters, he is a Republican.
Fraternally, Mr. Brown is affiliated with Plymouth Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Samoset Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Old Colony Commandery, Knights Templar; Abington Council, Royal and Se- lect Masters; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. His religious faith is that of the Unitarian church.
Robert A. Brown married, April 24, 1879, Marianna Hedge, who was born in Plymouth, and they have one son, Harold D.
JOHN J. O'REILLY-A native of Ireland, but throughout most of his life a resident of the United States, Mr. O'Reilly has been for more than two decades one of the leading lawyers of Brockton, Plymouth County. He has also been prominently active in this city's public affairs, having served at one time for a period of nine years as . city treas- urer.
John J. O'Reilly was born in County Fermanagh, Ireland, April 9, 1867, a son of Hugh and Catharine (Moen) O'Reilly. His father, who was a tailor and who died in 1922, was a native of County Cavan, Ire- land, while his mother, who was born in 1836, was a native of County Fermanagh. Mr. O'Reilly was educated in the grammar and high schools and later took special courses in a business college after which he studied law privately. Admitted to the bar in 1905, he commenced the practice of his profession in the same year at Brockton, Plymouth County, as a member of the law firm of Nutter, King & O'Reilly. Elected city treasurer of Brockton, in 1913, he with- drew from this firm in that year. In 1922 he re- sumed the practice of law alone and under his own name and for this purpose he has maintained offices since then at No. 106 Main Street, Brockton. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Plymouth County Bar Association, and the Brock- ton Bar Association. He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus, of the local unit of which organization he is a charter member and a Past Grand Knight; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and the Massachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters. In politics, he is a supporter of the Democratic party, while his religious affiliations are with the Roman Catholic church, and more par- ticularly with St. Patrick's Church of Brockton. Mr. O'Reilly makes his home in Brockton.
NEIL A. MACDONALD-As president of the Willard Granite & Polishing Company Neil A. Mac- Donald has been engaged in the manufacture of monuments and memorials for the cemetery trade since 1915. In association with Konstant Tikkanen, he organized the Willard Granite & Polishing Com- pany in that year, Mr. MacDonald serving as presi- dent and Mr. Tikkanen as treasurer, both of which offices are still held by the partners. The concern does a strictly wholesale business and is well known to the granite manufacturing industry, and to the cemetery retail trade.
Neil A. MacDonald was born in Caledonia, Prince Edward Island, Canada, June 28. 1881, son of John MacDonald, a native of Prince Edward Island, who was engaged in farming there to the time of his
death in 1921, and of Elizabeth Matheson, who was born on Prince Edward Island and died in 1890. He received his education in the local public schools and then engaged in agricultural activities, continu- ing in that line from 1893 to 1898. In the last-named year he came to the United States and located in Quincy. Massachusetts, where he engaged in the granite industry, serving his apprenticeship with the Thomas Mitchell Granite Company, with whom he remained until 1904. He then accepted a position with the Deacon Brothers Granite Company, as foreman, and for eleven years he maintained that connection, giving faithful and expert service to the company and acquiring valuable practical and ad- ministrative experience. In 1915, in association with Konstant Tikkanen (q. v.), a native of Finland, who came to this country at the age of eighteen years, and who had been engaged in the granite industry since coming to this country, he organized the Willard Granite & Polishing Company, locating at No. 243 Willard Street, in West Quincy. There the partners have developed a prosperous wholesale granite man- ufacturing business, producing monuments and all kinds of memorials for the cemetery trade. In 1916 the business was incorporated, and at this time Mr. Tikkanen was made treasurer of the corporation, which official position he still holds (1928). Mr. MacDonald is still president, and the corporation has made for itself a prominent place in the granite industry. Mr. MacDonald is a member of the Quincy Granite Manufacturers' Association, the American Granite Manufacturers' Association, and the Quincy Chamber of Commerce, which he has served as vice-president and of which he is now a member of the board of directors. Politically, he gives his support to the principles and the candidates of the Republican party, and he has always been actively interested in local public affairs. In 1916 he served as councilman, and he has always been generous in aiding any project which seeks the ad- vancement of the general welfare. In addition to his responsibilities as president of the Willard Gran- ite and Polishing Company Mr. MacDonald is a member of the board of directors of the Milton Co- operative Bank, president of the Nonantum Realty Corporation, and vice-president and assistant treas- urer of the Golden Pink Monumental Works of Ni- antic. He is a member and past president of the Burns Memorial Association, a member of the Quincy Historical Society, also of the First Parish Club and of the Kiwanis Club. Fraternally, he is identified with Quincy Lodge, No. 943, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks; Loyal Order of Moose; Clan McGregor, Order of the Scottish Clans, of which he is a Past Chief and also a Past Royal Deputy; and of the Independent Order Companions of America. His recreational hobby is baseball, in which he has always been deeply interested. Mr. MacDonald has many friends in Quincy and vicinity and is known as a public-spirited citizen, a successful business man, and a loyal and highly esteemed friend to a very large number.
Neil A. MacDonald was married, in 1906, to Mary E. Lyons, who was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, daughter of the late Captain Jeremiah Lyons of the Quincy Fire Department.
KONSTANT TIKKANEN-For more than a dec- ade Konstant Tikkanen has been engaged in the
Plym.1-19
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granite manufacturing business in Quincy, Massa- chusetts, under the name of the Willard Granite and Polishing Company. The firm is located at No. 243 Willard Street, in West Quincy, where it manufac- tures memorials and monuments for the cemetery trade, and also does polishing. The business is strictly wholesale and ranks among the foremost con- cerns of its kind in Quincy.
Konstant Tikkanen was born in Finland, May 11, 1875, son of Moses Tikkanen, a native of Finland, who was engaged as a farmer and is now deceased, and of Annaliisa Tikkanen, also born in Finland, and died in 1907. He received his education in the pub- lic schools of his native land, and then worked at farming for a time. In 1893, when he was eighteen years of age, he left his native land and came to this country, going first to Vinal Haven, Maine, where he worked at the stone-cutting trade. In 1895 he came to Quincy and served his apprenticeship with John Igo, a granite manufacturer, and later went with the Thomas McDonald & Son Company. His next connection was with the Andrew Dean Company, but after a short time spent in this connection he be- came associated with the Samps Granite Company of Quincy, of which he was made manager in 1903. Here he remained, serving most efficiently until 1915, when he decided to engage in business for himself. In association with Neil MacDonald (q. v.), he estab- lished what is known as the Willard Granite & Pol- ishing Company, located at No. 243 Willard Street, West Quincy. In 1916 the business was incorporated, and at this time Mr. Tikkanen was made treasurer of the concern, which official position he still holds (1928). The corporation manufactures memorials and monuments for the cemetery trade, doing a strictly wholesale business, and has made for itself a prominent place in the memorial industry. Mr. Tikkanen is a member of the Quincy Granite Manu- facturers' Association and of the American Granite Manufacturers' Association, also of the Quincy Cham- ber of Commerce. Fraternally, he is identified with the Foresters of America; Loyal Order of Moose; Quincy Lodge, No. 943, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and he is also a member of the Ma- sonic Order, being identified with Rural Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; St. Stephen's Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Quincy Commandery, Knights Temp- lar; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; also with Taleb Grotto, Mys- tic Order Veiled Prophets of the Enchanted Realm .. He is a member of the Finnish Temperance Society, the Young Men's Christian Association, and Hurja Athletic Society, and his special recreational interest: are athletics and fishing. Politically, he supports the principles and the candidates of the Republican party, and his religious affiliation is with the Finnish Lutheran Church.
Konstant Tikkanen was married (first), in 1900, tc Amanda Kamppila, who was born in Finland. She died in 1907, and he married (second), in 1921, Emma S. Juslin, a native of Finland. To the first marriage the following children were born: Saima Lillian, Urho Armas, Oiva, and Martha Amanda.
ALBERT F. DOYLE, prominent in the shoe man- ufacturing world of Southern New England, was born September 12, 1873, in the city of Boston, Mas- sachusetts. Mr. Doyle is a son of William and Eliza
(Kiernan) Doyle, both of whom were born in Ire- land, and both of whom are now deceased.
Albert F. Doyle received his early education in the public and high schools of the community in which he was born, and he later took a special course in chemistry at the Boston College of Pharmacy. Immediately after the completion of these courses of study, Mr. Doyle became a registered pharmacist, and followed this line of work until he became as- sociated with the Churchill & Alden Shoe Company, as a salesman. He remained with this concern for more than ten years, resigning to become a partner in the firm of Wall, Streeter & Doyle, shoe manufac- turers, of North Adams, Massachusetts. Mr. Doyle continued in this association until 1925, when he sold out his interests in this concern in order to devote his entire time to the proper development of his own concern, the Doyle Shoe Manufacturing Company of Brockton, an enterprise of which Mr. Doyle was president, and his nephew, William E. Doyle, was manager and treasurer.
This plant is now run on a most successful basis, and covers an entire city block, employing a steady staff of more than two hundred and fifty hands. It is a point of some interest that this concern is now occupying the site originally used by the Douglas Shoe Company, and every company that has operated upon this particular parcel of land has scored a steady and continuously rising success. It is to be presumed then, that this company will continue to grow and succeed until it becomes necessary for them, like their predecessors, to look about for larger quarters. Despite the varied and exacting duties of the work in which he is engaged, Mr. Doyle has still found time in which to assume a number of outside in- terests, among the more important of which were the offices he filled for a considerable number of years as a director of the Brockton City Hospital, and as a trustee of the Avon (Massachusetts) Library Board. In his political preferences, Mr. Doyle favors the Democratic party.
During the World War and after, when the United States was being ravaged by the influenza epidemics, Mr. Doyle did much to alleviate pain and suffering by taking charge of a large force of men and women who were engaged in obtaining relief supplies for the sick and dying.
Albert F. Doyle married, in 1912, Winnifred Finn, of Boston, Massachusetts, a daughter of Patrick and Bridget (O'Brien) Finn, of that city. Mr. and Mrs. Doyle are the parents of a son: Albert Cornelius Doyle, who was born October 19, 1917. Mr. and Mrs. Doyle and their son reside at No. 188 Moraine Street, in Brockton, where they attend St. Patrick's Roman Catholic Church.
WILLIAM S. PROPHETT-For nearly three dec- ades William S. Prophett has been conducting the undertaking and furniture business which his father established in Bridgewater in 1860. After the death of his father, Mr. Prophett took John E. Flynn into partnership, under the firm name of Prophett and Flynn, and under that style the business is still con- tinued.
William Prophett, father of Mr. Prophett, was born in Sibford, Oxfordshire, England, and came to this country as a young man, locating finally in Bridge- water, where, in 1860, he engaged in the embalming
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and funeral directing business, locating beside the New Jerusalem Church, which had formerly been known as the old Town House. At that time Frederick Hanson was conducting furniture business in Bridgewater. This enterprise Mr. Prophett pur- chased, in the early sixties, and from that time on successfully conducted it in connection with his undertaking business. Both departments of the busi- ness have been continuously conducted by the family since. He died in 1898 and the business was taken over by his son, William S. Prophett, who at the present time (1928) has associated with him as a mem- ber of the firm, William P. Prophett, grandson of the founder. William Prophett married Elizabeth B. Spiers, who was born in Deddington, Oxfordshire, England, now deceased, and they were the parents of William S. Prophett, of further mention.
William S. Prophett, son of William and Elizabeth B. (Spiers) Prophett, was born in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts, August 7, 1858, and received his edu- cation in the public schools of Bridgewater. After completing his education he became associated with his father in the undertaking and furniture business, and upon the death of huis father in 1898 he took over the business. About this time John E. Flynn was admitted to partnership under the name of Prophett and Flynn and the partnership has been continued to the present time (1928), though William P. Pro- phett, son of Mr. Prophett, has also been a partner since 1906. Prophett and Flynn are the only under- takers in Bridgewater, and they are taking care of a very large patronage, drawn from Bridgewater and a considerable territory surrounding that community. The furniture business, too, has steadily grown and is a prosperous department of the business, which is now located at No. 50 Central Square. Mr. Pro- phett is well known in Masonic circles, being a mem- ber of Fellowship Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Bridgewater; Harmony Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons; Bay State Commandery, Knights Templar; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Pioneer Lodge, No. 184, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He is identified with the Bridgewater Chamber of Commerce, Massachusetts Funeral Directors' Associa- tion, and the National Association of Funeral Di- rectors, and through these organizations keeps close- ly in touch with the progress made in his line of busi- ness throughout the country. Politically, he gives his support to the Republican party. He finds health- ful recreation in gunning and fishing.
William S. Prophett was married, March 30, 1881, to Nellie F. Kingman, daughter of Francis M. King- man, of East Bridgewater, and granddaughter of the late Sheriff Philip D. Kingman. Mr. and Mrs. Pro- phett are the parents of two children: 1. William P., now associated with his father in business, of whom further. 2. Ellen F., who married Everett N. Mc- Laughlin, of Bridgewater.
William P. Prophett, son of William S. and Nellie F. (Kingman) Prophett, was born in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, July 22, 1888, and received his early education in the public schools of Bridgewater. When his course in the schools here was completed he en- tered the Massachusetts College of Embalming, from which he was graduated with the class of 1908. Upon the completion of his professional training he became associated with the undertaking business of Prophett and Flynn, again, having already been admitted as a
partner in 1906, and the partnership has been con- tinued since that time. Mr. Prophett is a member of Fellowship Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Bridgewater, and of East Bridgewater Chapter, Order of the Eastern Star; of Pioneer Lodge, No. 184, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Rebek- ah Lodge of Bridgewater; also of Middleboro Lodge, No. 1274, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member of the Bridgewater Chamber of Com- merce, is a Republican in politics, and in his religious affiliation a member of the Swedenborgian Church .. His favorite recreations are hunting and fishing.
William P. Prophett was married, September 6, 1911, to Katherine Mallory Carpenter, who was born in Rutland, Vermont, daughter of Henry O. Car- penter. Mr. and Mrs. Prophett became the parents of five children: William C., Mabel E., Nellie K., Phillip M., and John H. (deceased). .
EDWARD P. FITZGIBBONS-From remnant leather dealer with one room of six hundred square feet of floor space to a general line of shoe leather and a floor space of 13,000 square feet, represented the progress of Edward P. Fitzgibbons in twenty- three years of striving to realize one of the ambitions of his life. Mr. Fitzgibbons started at Whitman, in a room by himself, applied himself diligently and witnessed his business develop into one of the largest in this community, previous to his demise, December 20, 1927. In 1909, he changed from the remnant business to leather insoles, sole leathers, outer soles, and upper leather for shoes. In 1926, the firm started cutting soles for the shoe trade, and at the time of Mr. Fitzgibbons' death, was handling 2,000,000 shoe soles yearly, and as many more insoles.
Edward P. Fitzgibbons was born July 28, 1870, at Whitman, the son of James and Ellen (English) Fitzgibbons. His father, a native of Ireland, en- gaged in the leather remnant business at Whitman until his death in 1915; his mother, also a native of Ireland, died in 1913. He received his education in the grammar and high schools of Whitman, and took a course at the Bryant & Stratton Business College, at Boston. On completing his education he entered the leather business with his father at Whitman in 1895, and remained with him for nine years, after which he established the leather remnants business under the firm name of E. P. Fitzgibbons and since 1920 changed to E. P. Fitzgibbons & Son. The evo- lution of the business from that point forward has been traced above.
Mr. Fitzgibbons was a member of the Republican party in politics, and for fifteen years served on the Whitman Finance Board. He was a member of Brockton Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and a fourth degree Knight of Columbus, in Whitman Council. In religious circles, he was a member of the Holy Ghost Roman Catholic Church. He was fond of golf, and a member of the Thorny Lea Golf Club. During the World War he served on the Legal Advisory Board for the State of Mas- sachusetts, and was chairman of several committees raising funds and promoting patriotism during the conflict.
Mr. Fitzgibbons married, in 1891, Julia Morey, a native of Brockton, and they had two children: Har- old E., and Agnes Mildred Fitzgibbons, the former a member of his father's firm.
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ERNEST M. O'TOOLE-From the beginning of his business career, Ernest M. O'Toole has centered his mercantile activities in Plymouth County. His place of employment, and his business headquarters have always been in Middleboro, and the Homestead Grocery, of which Mr. O'Toole is the proprietor, is a model place of business and the result of its owner's many years of experience in the bakery and general mercantile lines. He is a son of Michael Francis O'Toole, who was born in 1831, in Dublin, Ireland, and was a tailor to the time of his death, which oc- curred in 1918, and Catherine Elizabeth (Murphy) O'Toole, who was born in 1845 in County Cork, Ireland, and died in 1909. (They were one of the first Irish families to settle in Middleboro.)
Ernest M. O'Toole was born August 14, 1875, in Middleboro, where he attended the public schools and Eaton School. He then entered the employ of S. S. Bourne, Middleboro baker, with whom he con- tinued for five years, when he went to work for the firm of Cobb, Bates & Yerxa, in their Middleboro branch; they later sold to M. H. Cushing. Mr. O'Toole was with both firms about four years, and during the ten succeeding years he was associated with O'Hara Brothers, in the grocery and coal busi- ness. In 1914, Mr. O'Toole bought out the interests of O'Hara Brothers, and since has been engaged in business for himself under the name of Homestead Grocery, a progressive Middleboro grocery, centrally located at No. 11 South Main Street.
In political matters, Mr. O'Toole votes indepen- dently. He is a member of the Middleboro fire de- partment, and has been its deputy chief since 1912. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Middleboro Lodge, . No. 1274, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Middleboro Nest, No. 1824, Order of Owls; Middle- boro Court, No. 96, Massachusetts Order of For- esters; and he is a member of the Middleboro Com- mercial Club. He is a communicant of Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
Ernest M. O'Toole married, October 3, 1923, Loretta E. McGuire, registered nurse, who was born in South Boston.
FRANK W. MANSFIELD-As president and gen- eral manager of the G. H. Mansfield Company, at Canton, Massachusetts, Frank W. Mansfield is at the head of one of the oldest and largest concerns in the country engaged in the manufacture of silk and linen fishing lines. Mr. Mansfield's two sons, F. Winslow, Jr., and George M., who are treasurer and secretary, respectively, represent the fourth gener- ation of the Mansfield family in this enterprise, and during the long period of time in which the Mans- fields have been developing this concern they have placed its products at the very top both in quality and in amount.
William Mansfield, grandfather of Frank W., was the founder of the business. He built a modest fac- tory on a small water power site in the town of Can- ton, Massachusetts, and began the manufacture of threads and twines. That was in 1821. Previous to that time a few braided lines were imported from England, but because of their varying lengths and the uncertainty as to time of delivery, it was difficult to secure just what was needed at the time it was needed, and William Mansfield determined to meet the need by manufacturing braided lines in this coun- try. The original factory, which is still standing and
is used as quarters for housing several families, was the scene of many experiments made by the founder, especially experiments made in the production of fish- ing lines, and many innovations in this product were introduced by him. For a time the growth of the business was not rapid, but it kept pace with the demand of the times and its goods became widely known for their sterling worth. For several years about one dozen braiding machines were able to take care of the business, whereas today the company uses about one thousand braiding machines in the manufacture of braided silk lines alone. In the year 1865 William Mansfield, the founder, retired, leaving in the business his three sons, George H., Horace H., and Frederick W., and under the management of the sons the manufacture of braided silk lines was begun, the first produced in this country being made in Canton by this concern. About 1865-66 the com- pany also produced the first enameled silk line made in America, and these lines have stood the test of time and the competition of other lines for more than half a century. This forward step caused an imme, diate increase in business and the concern from this time on grew rapidly. Soon after Horace H. severed his connection with the company, and a very little later Frederick W. also withdrew, leaving George H. alone in the business to the time of his death. He operated under the name of the G. H. Mansfield Company, which firm style is still retained (1928). In 1881 and for some time after that year the factory was operated night and day to fill the demand for fishing lines, in addition to which was added a side line of silk glove lacings, during the period when this method of fastening ladies' gloves was in style.
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