USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 95
USA > Massachusetts > Norfolk County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 95
USA > Massachusetts > Barnstable County > History of Plymouth, Norfolk and Barnstable counties, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 95
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Augustus C. Ellis married, at Chatham, December 1, 1909, Marion Nickerson, born at Chatham, daugh- ter of George H. Nickerson, of Chatham, and Hattie A. (Tripp) Nickerson, of Chatham. Mrs. Ellis is very active in social life, being a member of the Wom- an's Club, the Eastern Star, treasurer of the Chat- ham Historical Society, and treasurer of the local branch of the American Red Cross.
ARTHUR WINSLOW PEIRCE was born at Ar- lington, Massachusetts, June 3, 1850, son of John Winslow and Lydia Ann (Peirce) Peirce. John Winslow Peirce was widely known as a public- spirited citizen, took an active part in political af- fairs, and served his district as a member of the
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House of Representatives in the Maine Legislature. Arthur Winslow Peirce was enrolled in the Ar- lington (Massachusetts) public schools and was graduated from Arlington High School with the class of 1878. He thence matriculated at Tufts College, applied himself to his studies, and in 1882 was grad- uated from that institution with the degree of Bach- elor of Arts. Several years later, after Mr. Peirce had begun his climb in the teaching profession, his alma mater conferred upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Literature. This was in 1899, after Mr. Peirce entered upon his duties at Dean Academy. After his graduation from Tufts College, he went to Barre, Vermont, and became an instructor in God- dard Seminary in that city. This was in 1882, and Mr. Peirce was so occupied until 1891 when he was prontoted to headmaster of Goddard Seminary, where he functioned efficiently for six years, leaving that seminary to accept a position as headmaster of Dean Academy, at Franklin, in 1897. Since that time he has remained at Franklin, devoted himself to the conduct of his duties in the academy, and at the same time has entered zealously into other spheres in the community. As is customary with most successful men, Mr. Peirce eventually was drawn into banking, and now is a director of the Franklin (Massachusetts) National Bank. In his civic work he is serving as moderator, and as a member of the Town Planning Board at Franklin. Mr. Peirce still retains his mem- bership in his college fraternity, Theta Delta Chi, and his social contacts have been made through his membership in the Boston City Club and the Frank- lin Country Club. Many other societies and similar organizations have enrolled him, and he is a trustee of Tufts College, president of the Franklin Library As- sociation, president of the Fletcher Hospital, mem- ber of the Head Masters' Association, member of the New England Association of Colleges and Prepara- tory Schools, and a member of the council, New Eng- land Historical and Genealogical Society. In the works of this last-named organization Mr. Peirce has evidenced unusual interest. He is the author of the "History of Franklin (Massachusetts) Library," pub- lished in 1907, and in that same year he provided an historical address at the one hundredth anniversary of the town of Arlington.
Arthur Winslow Peirce took as his bride, June 25, 1903, at Franklin, Lydia Paine Ray, a native of that city. Her parents were Joseph Gordon and Emily (Rockwood) Ray. Mr. Peirce is usually occupied in his offices at Dean Academy during business hours, while he and his wife have their home at No. 94 Main Street, Franklin.
SAMUEL P. SEARS-Following in his father's footsteps, when the time had arrived to choose his life-work, Mr. Sears decided on a legal career. The commencement of it was postponed for several years as the result of some two years' service in the United States Navy during the World War. Devoting the first few years after his return to civilian life to the study of law, Mr. Sears was admitted to the bar in 1921 and since then has been engaged in active prac- tice in Boston.
Samuel P. Sears was born at Quincy, Massachu- setts, in 1895, a son of Russell A. and Jennie (Crock- er) Sears. Both his parents were natives of Quincy. His father is one of the most prominent lawyers of Boston, and is the general counsel for the Boston Elevated Railroad.
Mr. Sears received his early education at Milton
Academy and then entered Harvard College, where he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1917. The entrance of the United States in the World War in that year interrupted Mr. Sears' preparation for a legal career and, as one of the first from his native State, he enlisted in the United States Navy in April, 1917. He was assigned to transport duty, and before long was commissioned a lieuten- ant, junior grade, becoming also aide to Admiral Jones. He continued in active service until he re- ceived his honorable discharge in January, 1919. Soon afterwards he reentered Harvard University, in the Law School of which he pursued the study of law, being graduated in 1921 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. Since then he has been engaged in the practice of law in association with the law firm of McLellan, Brickley & Sears, with offices at No. 1 Federal Street, Boston. He is a member of the Mas- sachusetts and the American Bar associations. His clubs include the Hasty Pudding Club of Harvard, the Harvard and the Tennis and Racquet of Boston, and the Charles River Country Club. His religious affiliations are with the Unitarian church.
Mr. Sears married, at East Brewster, Barnstable County, October 9, 1917, Helen Nickerson, born in Chicago, May 7, 1898, a daughter of the late Roland Crosby Nickerson (see following biography) and Adelaide Trego (Daniels) Nickerson. Mr. and Mrs. Sears are the parents of two children: Roland Nick- erson Sears, born at Boston, August 7, 1918; and Ann Sears, born April 21, 1926. The family residence is located at East Brewster.
ROLAND CROSBY NICKERSON-Having en- tered the banking business as a young man, Mr. Nickerson remained active in it throughout his life and for many years was one of the leading figures in the financial circles of Chicago, Illinois, his native city. He was also prominently active in the social life of that city, as well as of New York City. His early death, at the age of forty-six years, cut short a life of great usefulness and deprived his family of a loving husband and father and his community of an upright citizen, always willing to work for the ad- vancement of its interests and welfare.
Roland Crosby Nickerson was born in Chicago, Illinois, July 27, 1859, a son of Samuel Mayo and Matilda (Crosby) Nickerson. His father was a prominent banker of Chicago. Mr. Nickerson was educated abroad and after his return to this country as a young man entered the banking business, be- coming connected with the First National Bank of Chicago, one of the oldest and most prominent finan- cial institutions of that city. He continued with this bank, for many years, but eventually removed to Massachusetts and at one time served as a member of the Governor's Council. At the time of his death he was in the banking business.
Mr. Nickerson was a member of the Metropolitan, Union League and New York Yacht clubs of New York City, the Eastern Yacht Club, of Marblehead, Massachusetts, and the Chicago Club of Chicago. His religious affiliations were with the Unitarian church.
Roland Crosby Nickerson was married, in Chicago, Illinois, June 16, 1886, to Adelaide Trego Daniels, a daughter of William Yocum and. Ann (Atkinson) Daniels. Mr. and Mrs. Nickerson were the parents of three children: 1. Roland Crosby Nickerson, Jr., who was born December 6, 1889, and who died Oc- tober 6, 1918. 2. Samuel Mayo Nickerson (2), who died April 25, 1907. 3. Helen Nickerson, who was
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born May 7, 1898, and who married Samuel P. Sears (see preceding biography), a lawyer of Boston, Mas- sachusetts. Mr. Nickerson died June 9, 1906.
FRANK HOWARD HINCKLEY-For more than half a century Frank Howard Hinckley per- formed an important work in the lumber business in Yarmouthport, Massachusetts, and developed one of the leading firms of its kind in this section of Barn- stable County. In these years he came to be one of the well-loved and highly-respected citizens of his community; so that his death, which occurred on No- vember 18, 1926, came as a severe shock to his many friends and acquaintances, and caused widespread bereavement.
Mr. Hinckley was born in Barnstable, Massachu- setts, on June 30, 1850, a son of John and Mary (Hall) Hinckley, the former of whom was a con- tractor and a carpenter. As a boy, he attended the public schools of his community, and completed his course in the grammar grades. Then he decided to enter the business world, and became employed by a groceryman in Boston, for whom he continued to work from 1867 until 1870. At the end of that per- iod, he returned to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and engaged in the contract building and retail lumber business in Yarmouthport. Having been familiar as a child with his father's work in carpentry and con- tracting, he did not enter upon his next business ven- ture entirely uninitiated. In 1872, he and his father together organized the firm of John Hinckley and Son, which, in ensuing years, did a flourishing busi- ness. The present John Hinckley and Son Company, although conducted by Frank H. Hinckley's sons, is a direct outgrowth of the original firm established in 1872. The company expanded, and its volume of sales increased so rapidly that its promoters were forced to devote all of their time and energy to the task of meeting the demands made upon them. Fi- nally, on December 18, 1914, it was incorporated under the laws of the State of Massachusetts, and as a corporation it became one of the principal lumber firms in this section. The incorporation took place two months after the Hinckleys purchased the inter- ests of J. K. and B. Sears Company, of Hyannis, Massachusetts. After that purchase, the John Hinck- ley and Son Company maintained an office and yard in Yarmouthport and another in Hyannis, where it dealt more extensively than ever in grain and hay, lumber, and building supplies. At all times, Frank H. Hinckley made manifest a great interest in com- munity enterprises, and was vice-president and a member of the board of directors of the Hyannis Trust Company.
Mr. Hinckley had strong fraternal affiliations, hav- ing been a member of the Free and Accepted Ma- sons, in which Order he was identified with the fra- ternal lodge of Hyannis, was Past Master of the James Otis Lodge in Barnstable, and was af- filiated with the Orient Chapter of Royal Arch Ma- sons and the Sutton Commandery of the Knights Templar. Although he was not an enrolled member of the Congregational church, he attended regularly the services of that denomination in his community.
On November 21, 1876. Mr. Hinckley married Harriet Mayo Gorham, in Yarmouthport, Massachu- setts. They had the following children: 1. Mrs. Grace H. Chase. 2. Mary Louise Hinckley. 3. Annie Gor- ham Hinckley. 4. Frank Howard Hinckley, Jr., a biography of whom follows. 5. Alice (Hinckley) Nickerson. 6. John E. (see a following biography).
FRANK HOWARD HINCKLEY, Jr .- A popu- lar member of a long established and prominent lun- bering concern of Yarmouthport, Massachusetts, Mr. Hinckley has been serving in a most responsible posi- tion in the company and has been instrumental in bringing it to the influential level it has reached dur- ing the years of its existence. His has been a very colorful life in industrial, social, and military circles, in all of which he has earned merited success and honor. He is the son of Frank Howard and Harriet Mayo (Gorham) Hinckley, of Yarmouthport (see preceding biography). His father before him had been in the lumbering business, and the former with his two sons, Frank Howard, Jr., and John E. Hinck- ley, are associated in the concern of John Hinckley and Son, which has been in existence for over half a century.
Frank Howard Hinckley, Jr., was born at Barn- stable, Massachusetts, January 27, 1884. He attended the public schools of his native district, from which he was graduated in 1903. He went to Brown Uni- versity for a short time and completed his education by going to the Burdett Business College. Imme- diately, thereafter, he entered the employ of the John Hinckley and Son Company, with which he has been connected continuously since. In 1914, the business had grown to such proportions that it was incor- porated under the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, at which time Mr. Hinckley was made secretary and treasurer of the organization. He has filled that capacity most efficiently and is so en- gaged at the present time. Taking a very active part in community enterprises, Mr. Hinckley holds the office of president of the Cape Cod Co-operative Bank, and is a member of the board of directors of that institution as well. In politics, he ardently sup- ports the Republican party, and is a member of the Planning Board of the town of Barnstable.
During the World War, Mr. Hinckley enrolled as a member af the First New England Regiment, in May, 1917, and trained at Plattsburgh, New York. At the end of that time he was commissioned second lieutenant in the Quartermasters' Corps, assigned to Camp Devens at Ayer, Massachusetts, for the year 1917. He was transferred to Camp Johnson, 1917 and 1918, and was then sent overseas during 1918 and 1919. He returned to be mustered out at Camp Dix in 1919 as a first lieutenant of the Motor Trans- port Corps, with which he had served overseas at- tached to the First Army Corps. Still retaining his military appointment, he is now a captain in the Re- serve Motor Transport Corps. In fraternal life, Mr. Hinckley is affiliated with the Fraternal lodge of the Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a Past Master; he is likewise a member of Orient Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is Past High Priest; and of Sutton Commandery, Knights Templar. At the time of this writing he is R. E. G. H. P. of the Twelfth Capitular District of Massachusetts. He has joined the Saturday Night Club of Hyannis, the Cummaquid Golf Club, the Boston City Club, and is past president of the Rotary Club of Hyannis. He is a member of the executive committee and president of the Barnstable County Agricultural Society.
Mr. Hinckley married Eunice I. Marsh at Lynn, Massachusetts, June 1, 1921, the daughter of Stephen Elery and Harriet H. Marsh of that city. They are the parents of three children: 1. John, born Novem- ber 7, 1922. 2. Miriam Ann, born January 23, 1923. 3. Frank Howard (3) (now Jr.), born February 24, 1927.
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JOHN EDWARD HINCKLEY-Having been firmly established for many years in the lumber busi- ness in Hyannis, Massachusetts, John Edward Hinck- ley has proved himself a commendable executive of the John Hinckley and Son Company, one of the oldest firms in this part of Barnstable County. He won a deserved reputation for ability, sound judgment, and fair dealing in his years of service as vice-presi- dent of this company, and is maintaining this repu- tation, as its president, for in November, 1926, upon the death of his father, Frank Howard Hinckley, he was elected head of this establishment.
Mr. Hinckley was born in Barnstable, Massachu- setts, on June 9, 1889, a son of Frank H. and Har- riet M. (Gorham) Hinckley, of Yarmouthport, Massa- chusetts. His father, Frank H., and his grandfather, John Hinckley, together organized in 1872 the lum- ber firm of John Hinckley and Son, in Yarmouth- port, which with the passing years came to be a flourishing company, handling grain and hay, lum- ber, and building supplies. The father, Frank H. Hinckley, who lived from June 30, 1850, until No- vember 18, 1926, in addition to his work in the lum- ber business, was vice-president and a director of the Hyannis Trust Company, and a prominent man in the social and fraternal life of his community. The widow, Harriet Mayo (Gorham) Hinckley, is still living (1928), her residence being situated in Barn- stable.
As a boy, John Edward Hinckley attended the grammar school of Barnstable, his native town, and went for two years to the high school. Then he transferred to Phillips-Exeter Academy, where he prepared for college, and from which institution he was graduated in the class of 1907. Then he went to Brown University, where he not only did noted academic work, but also was manager of the univer- sity track team, and he was graduated from Brown in the class of 1911, with the degree of Bachelor of Philosophy. When he left the university, he entered the employ of the Tyronza Lumber Company, in Earl, Arkansas, where he remained about a year, at the end of which time he came East, settling in Providence, Rhode Island, where he became asso- ciated with the firm of Kile and Morgan, wholesale lumber dealers. After a year's training with that company, he joined his father and brother in the John Hinckley & Son Company, of Yarmouthport; and when, in 1914, this firm was incorporated. he became its vice-president. In October of that year it had purchased the J. K. and B. Sears Company, of Hyannis, Massachusetts, and in December the incor- poration was effected. The company immediately established offices and yards in both Hyannis and Yarmouthport, and laid out a program of expansion. When Frank H. Hinckley, the father, died on Novem- ber 18, 1926, the presidency of the firm was left vacant, and John E. Hinckley was chosen for this position. In the comparatively short period of his administration of this office, he has fulfilled his duties in a creditable manner and has made valuable contri- butions to the company in its work.
Mr. Hinckley's interests do not end with the affairs of his own firm, for he takes an active part in the civic and social life of the community. He is a mem- ber of the board of directors of the Hyannis Co-oper- ative Bank, and of the Hyannis Trust Company. During the World War, he was actively engaged with the Massachusetts State Guard, in which capac- ity he was called to service with the rank of captain at the time of the Boston police strike in 1919. He is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, in
which he is affiliated with the Fraternal Lodge of Hyannis, is High Priest of the Orient Chapter of Royal Arch Masons, has been admitted to the ranks of the Knights Templar, and to Aleppo Temple of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, in Boston. He also holds memberships in the Saturday Night Club, of Hyannis; the Brown Club, of Providence, Rhode Island; the University Club, of Boston; the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity; the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce; the Hyannis Board of Trade; the Barnstable County Agricultural Society, in which he belongs to the executive com- mittee; the Cummaquid Golf Club, of Barnstable; and the Phillips-Exeter Alumni Association. He formerly was treasurer, and is now a director of the Cape Cod Hospital, in Hyannis. In political mat- ters, he has aligned himself with the Republican party, and for several years he has served on the school committee of Barnstable.
On December 1, 1924, Mr. Hinckley married Marion Ruiter, in Toledo. She is a daughter of Nelson and Eleanor (Taylor) Ruiter. Mr. and Mrs. Hinckley now make their home in Hyannis.
In addition to his other activities, Mr. Hinckley still maintains the interest in athletics which he acquired at Brown University, especially in track work. He officiates at public meets, is a member of the New England Collegiate Athletic Association, and was for ten years a member of that organization's advisory committee.
THOMAS RICH ELDREDGE was born Decem- ber 1, 1853, at Harwich, and died May 12, 1914, at the same place. He was an honored and respected citizen and business man, member of a family, which, since founded in the United States, has been, and continues to be, represented on Cape Cod. Before his demise, Mr. Eldredge had been in poor health for nearly one year. His memory is cherished in the hearts of his loved descendants, toward whom he was in life ever kind and thoughtful, and in the hearts of his many friends on the Cape, who respected his high character.
Thomas Rich Eldredge was the son of Benjamin and Caroline (Snow) Eldredge, both of whom were born in Harwich. Benjamin Eldredge was counted among the most important commercial figures in both Harwich and Cape Cod during the second and third quarters of the nineteenth century. He was a storekeeper, and intimately concerned in local affairs of commerce and of politics.
Thomas Rich Eldredge found the sea appealing to his sense of adventure, and when a mere boy spent a short time on a vessel outward bound from the Cape. Always, until his death, he loved the sea, but, following his education in the schools of Harwich, it was thought best for him to stay ashore; and when still a youth, barely through with school, he went to work for Joseph O. Baker, who operated a livery service. From that time on his lot was cast on land, in commerce. His second place was with Emulons Small, who dealt in hay, grain and flour, at Har- wichport; and, eventually, Mr. Eldredge purchased this business, and removed it to Harwich, where, partly because of the larger size of the community, its volume was increased to very satisfactory propor- tions, and it has flourished ever since, the only flour and feed establishment in the community. Aside from his commercial rôle in Harwich, Mr. Eldredge was interested in political and fraternal matters. He was a Republican, and a member of the Independent
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Order of Odd Fellows, in which order he held various offices.
Thomas Rich Eldredge married, at Harwich, on January 10, 1887, Emma Watson Kelley, born at Harwich, November 13, 1856, daughter of Watson Baker and Rebecca Doan (Allen) Kelley, both of whom were natives of Harwich. Mrs. Eldredge was an interested participant in social and communal affairs, and a member of the Sea View Sewing Circle. The union resulted in two children: 1. Watson Ben- jamin. 2. Thomas Rich, Jr., a biography of whom follows.
THOMAS RICH ELDREDGE, Jr., is a member of an old Cape Cod family, which, since founded in the United States, has been represented continuously on the Cape. He is a grain dealer of Harwich, Barn- stable County.
Thomas R. Eldredge, Jr., was born at Harwich- port on March 19, 1895, son of Thomas Rich and Emma Watson (Kelley) Eldredge (see preceding biography). Thomas R. Eldredge, Jr., was educated in the public schools of Harwichport and Harwich, and at the age of fifteen began to work with his father in the business of grain merchandising, until 1916, when he took over the business for himself. He has conducted it during the years succeeding, and is one of the leading business men of the town of Harwich, and a prominent citizen of Harwichport. It is the only grain business in Harwich, and was founded in Harwichport by Emulons Small, having been purchased by Mr. Eldredge, Sr., who removed it to Harwich, where, partly because of the larger size of the community, its volume was increased to a very satisfactory size, and where it has flourished until the present (1928). Thomas Eldredge, Jr., is a member of the Republican party; and, with his family, attends the Congregational church.
Mr. Eldredge married, at Dennisport, on January 22, 1917, Alice Snow, native of Dennisport, and a daughter of George G. and Desire B. (Wixon) Snow, both natives of Dennisport. To this union have been born three children: 1. Emma Gardiner. 2. Helen Thomas, born January 9, 1922. 3. Gordon Rich, born February 10, 1927.
AUGUSTUS L. THORNDIKE-In the memory of the people of Brewster, there endures one figure outstanding, who took a constant and an interested concern in the welfare of this community during the many vears of his residence in it; and that figure, commemorated in his works, warm in the hearts of those who have survived him, was Augustus L. Thorndike.
Mr. Thorndike was a native of Boston, and at the conclusion of student days, with mind already well grounded in matters of finance, became interested in banking. He served as president of the Boston Co-operative Bank at Boston, and later was president, at Chelsea, of the Winnisimmett National Bank, now the Chelsea Trust Company. To fill an unexpired term, Mr. Thorndike was appointed Bank Commis- sioner for the State of Massachusetts, and later was appointed to serve two full terms. In this responsible position he traveled all about the Commonwealth throughout the tenure of it, becoming acquainted with the principal financial leaders of Massachusetts, and a master of current problems of banking. It was said, and surely not without reason, that Mr. Thorndike could, and often did, dependent on no other forces than his own, cause a weakened financial
institution to gain in strength, that through exercise of his personality, which forever instilled confidence, and his genius for organization and execution he averted several commercial mishaps which would have been fraught with attendant mishap to as many communities dependent upon them. At the age of twenty-two, Mr. Thorndike was appointed trustee of the large estate left by his father, Dr. William H. Thorndike. This was a great responsibility, requiring a great deal of his time up to the time of his death.
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