USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 16
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Frank H. Foss married Sibyl S. Alden, daughter of Dr. Isaiah and Dora (Staples) Alden, of Wyoming City, Iowa. Mr. and Mrs. Foss have three children: I, Ray Alden, born in May, 1895; a graduate of Worcester Tech- nical Institute (1918), who enlisted in the aviation branch of the United States Army in November, 1917, detailed to Kelly Field, at San Antonio, Texas, where he was assigned to engineering work, and was discharged in November, 1918; is now active as chemist for the American Woolen Company. 2. Ruth Hannah, born in April, 1900; a graduate of Simmons College, of Boston (1922), now employed by the Sanborn Manufacturing Company. 3. Dorothy Sibyl, born in 1901, a graduate of Simmons College (1923), now active in the employ of the Fitchburg Mutual Fire Insurance Company.
CHARLES CARUSO-The life of Charles Caruso exemplifies in a very marked and noteworthy manner, fineness and beauty of usefulness. In a business way he has attained large success, but far from devoting his gains to wholly personal uses, he has rather given con- stant thought and effort to the needs and welfare of others, and his residence town of Milford, Massachusetts, bears many evidences of his benevolences of spirit. A native of Italy, Mr. Caruso came to this country as a young man, settling in Milford nearly forty years ago. He has since given to the progress of the community his best efforts, contributing to every advance movement, leading many public endeavors for worthy purposes, and personally executing various beneficent deeds. He is a son of Vincent and Mary Caruso, his father died in America at the age of seventy-four years, while his
mother lived to the great age of ninety-four years, also spending the latter part of her life in America, where she died.
Charles Caruso was born at Isernia, Italy, June 21, 1864. He had the advantage of an excellent education in his native land, and at the age of twenty years came to America and settled in Milford, Massachusetts. This was in 1884, and he immediately opened business, estab- lishing a bank under the title of the Bank of the People. Two years later he established a steamship agency in connection with this bank. This shortly became and has ever since continued one of the leading Italian banking institutions of Worcester County, holding high rank among the banks in its field in the State of Massa- chusetts. This is not, however, Mr. Caruso's only in- terest. He early became a shareholder in other enter- prises, and for years past has owned the Caruso Monu- mental Company, a concern which was doing a very ex- tensive business and is leading its field in this part of the State. He has long owned large real estate holdings and has done more or less development work in this connection. He built several houses, and the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus stands as a monument to his devoted efforts and his business ability applied to a worthy cause. He, with others, built and financed the entire project of the church, stand- ing back of all the costs of its completion and the beautifying of the grounds. In the public life of the community Mr. Caruso has long taken the deepest interest and has served in various capacities, his en- deavors counting broadly for the public welfare. For thirty-two years he has been constable of Milford, and has long served as a member of the local committee on public safety and the local Board of Trade. He has done much detective work, for which he has become widely famous, his cleverness and alertness giving it great value to the public. He was an enthusiastic worker in all the home war activities, and since then aroused the interest of the people in the building of a beautiful monument on the public square in memory of the veterans of the World War, a really fine work of art, built of native granite, which he personally designed and had erected. Fraternally Mr. Caruso holds mem- bership in Milford Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Knights of Columbus; the Foresters of America; the Central Labor Union; the Italian Mondo Socorso; and is vice-president of the local Police Asso- ciation. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Charles Caruso married, in Franklin, Massachusetts, on November, 26, 1889, Teresa Fiorani, daughter of Raphael and Santina Fiorani. They are the parents of one son, Alfred B., born January 12, 1894, in Milford, who was educated in the local high school and at the Boston School of Designing, and who now manages his father's many business enterprises. He married, in Mil- ford, on April 21, 1918, Alma Hammerquist, and they have one child, Norma M. In these two figures above, father and son, are represented the finest type of Italian- American citizenship.
ROBERT SHURTLEFF WALLACE-Standing at a vital point in the production of cotton textile goods
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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY
in New England, Robert S. Wallace, of Fitchburg, is prominent in the manufacture of cotton yarns, as treas- urer of the Fitchburg Yarn Company. In this enter- prise he is associated with some of the leading citizens of Fitchburg, and his name is an influential one in the progress of the city. Mr. Wallace is a son of Herbert I. and Amy Louise (Upton) Wallace, his father for many years connected with the Fitchburg Paper Com- pany but now retired.
. Robert S. Wallace was born in Fitchburg, Massachu- setts, September 28, 1888. His education was begun in the local schools, and he is a graduate of the Middlesex School, of Concord, Massachusetts, class of 1907, and Harvard University, from which he was graduated in IgII. Mr. Wallace has been associated with the Fitch- burg Yarn Company since the early years of his experi- ence in the business world, mastering the various branches of the enterprise and thoroughly familiarizing himself with the work of the different departments. His natural business ability and thorough training have been factors in his success, and he is counted among the really significant figures of the day in Fitchburg. The per- sonnel of this organization is as follows: President, J. P. Lyman; vice-president and general manager, George P. Grant; and treasurer, Robert S. Wallace. H. I. Wallace was the predecessor of the present treasurer, who has served since the year 1913. This concern operates 60,000 spindles and employs about four hundred people. During the World War Mr. Wallace was com- missioned captain of the Quartermaster's Department of the United States Army in October, 1917. He was detailed to Boston in charge of cotton goods production throughout New England. Mr. Wallace was retained on this side of the Atlantic throughout the period of the war, and received his honorable discharge from the service on June 14, 1919. Mr. Wallace is a director of the Fitchburg Bank & Trust Company, a director of the Rodney-Wallace Company, of Fitchburg, and is well known in club circles, being a director of the Marl- boro Country Club and a member of the board of governors of the Oak Hill Country Club. He is further a member of the Harvard clubs of Boston and New York.
Mr. Wallace married, on June 27, 1911, Florence Louise Lyman, daughter of J. P. and Mary Grace (Chapman) Lyman, and they have four children: Rosamond, born December 18, 1912; Rosemary, born January 25, 1914; Robert S., Jr., born May 5, 1915; and Penelope, born September 5, 1918.
ALBERT ALANSON TISDALE-A native son of Leominster, whose business career has been one of notable success, Albert A. Tisdale, has served his com- munity well, and to his energy and enterprise a' great deal of the success of the corporations with which he is connected is due. He is president of the Whitney Reed Corporation, and treasurer of the Horn and Sup- ply Company, the latter of which he controls, and has been connected with both since their organization. He was one of the organizers of the original Whitney Reed Chair Company, and as treasurer and general manager was the principal factor in the successful development of the concern to its present proportions. He was one
of the organizers of the Horn and Supply Company, and continues its active head.
Stephen A. Tisdale, father of Albert A. Tisdale, was also a native of Leominster, born there October 18, 1828, and was also engaged in the manufacturing business, his line being horn goods, in which he continued to the time of his death in 1906. During the Civil War he served as a musician in the Ist Massachusetts Band, receiving his honorable discharge at the close of the war and he was a member of Stevens Post, Grand Army of the Re- public, of Leominster. He married Ann E. Whitcomb, who was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, October 22, 1835, and died February 12, 1916.
Albert A. Tisdale, son of Stephen A. and Ann E. (Whitcomb) Tisdale, was born in Leominster, Massa- chusetts, October 7, 1857, and after receiving a practical education in the public schools of his native city, pre- pared for a business career by taking a thorough course in Comer's Commercial College in Boston. When his business course was completed he became an employee of the local mills, but he soon engaged in business for himself under the firm name A. A. Tisdale & Company, until he became one of the organizers of the Whitney Reed Chair Company, associating himself with F. A. Whitney, J. P. Holman, and W. C. Burdette, under the firm name of the Whitney Reed Chair Company, of which he was made treasurer and general manager. The company is engaged in the manufacture of reed chairs and baby carriages, and from the organization to the present Mr. Tisdale has devoted his energies to the advancement of the interests of that business. Under his vigorous and efficient management the enterprise grew rapidly, and later was incorporated under the name of the Whitney Reed Corporation, of which Mr. Tisdale was made vice-president and later president. That
official executive position he has continued to hold, and he is still an important factor in the continued growth and prosperity of the corporation. Mr. Tisdale has a host of friends in Leominster and vicinity, and is well known in fraternal and club circles. He is a member of Wilder Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; and of Leominster Lodge, No. 86, Independent Order of Odd Fellows ; his clubs the Leominster and the Camp Fire Club of America. He is also a member of the Leominster Chamber of Commerce; and his religious affiliation is with the Unitarian church of Leominster. In addition to his business responsibilities already mentioned, Mr. Tisdale is a member of the board of directors of the Leominster National Bank.
On January 20, 1891, Albert A. Tisdale married Flor- ence E. Tenney, who was born in Keene, New Hamp- shire, daughter of William B. and Mary J. (Carter) Tenney. Mr. and Mrs. Tisdale are the parents of one daughter, Ruth M., educated in Leominster public schools, grade and high (valedictorian), finishing at Dana Hall, Wellesley, Massachusetts; she married How- ard H. Chase, president of the Leominster Worsted Company (q. v.).
GEORGE F. PIERCE, as president and treasurer of the Pierce Direct Advertising Company of Worcester is meeting every practical need of the business houses of the city of Worcester, and his activities are contribut-
Eng. by E.G. Williams & Bro N.Y.
Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
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BIOGRAPHICAL
ing materially to the general business prosperity. Mr. Pierce is a son of George Edward Pierce, who was born at Lunenburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts, and is now engaged in the fruit and produce business in the city of Worcester. The mother, Mary McKenna Pierce, was born in Southbridge, Massachusetts, and is also now living.
George F. Pierce was born in the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, September 4, 1897. His education was begun in the public schools of this city, and he is a graduate of Washington and Jefferson College, of Washington, Pennsylvania, of the class of 1919. Fol- lowing his graduation Mr. Pierce returned to Worcester and became identified with the Park Mailing Company, Incorporated, which was founded in this city in the year 1917. At that time the business was known as the H. & D. Direct Advertising Company, under which name it was known until 1919, when it was incorporated under the name of the Park Mailing Company. Mr. Pierce became president of the organization and Marie E. Martocci, secretary and treasurer. In 1923 Mr. Pierce took over the duties of treasurer in connection with the presidency, Miss Martocci becoming at that time an inactive member of the firm. Later, in July, 1923, the Park Mailing Company discontinued and Mr. Pierce opened offices at No. 414 Main Street, under the name of the Pierce Direct Advertising Company. This busi- ness consists of designing, illustrating, and writing copy for booklets, folders, and many kinds of advertising ma- terial, also the writing of sales letters, the multigraphing of letters of any kind, the compiling of mailing lists, and the mailing of any advertising or other matters which are prepared for the mails in quantity. They are the largest house of this kind in Worcester. Mr. Pierce is a member of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the United Commercial Travelers' Association, the Credit Men's Association, and served at the Officers' Training School at Washington, Pennsylvania, during the World War. He is also a member of the American Legion, and his clubs are the Kiwanis and the Tatassit. He attends St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. Pierce married, on September 3, 1918, Florence Curtis, who was born in Worcester, and they have one son, George F., Jr., born September 22, 1919.
ARTHUR OSGOOD YOUNG-The city of Wor- cester, Massachusetts, may well be proud of its long list of able business men who are developing enter- prises which bring to the city assured prosperity and continued growth. As president of the Clafin-Sumner Coal Company, Arthur Osgood Young is at the head of a concern which has been steadily developing for nearly a half century, and which is recognized as one of the well-established business organizations of the city.
Mr. Young received his education in the public schools of Worcester, and, immediately upon the completion of his school training, began his connection with the con- cern with which he is still identified. He was associated with Charles L. Claflin, the founder of the business, who came to Worcester and established a coal yard at Central Street in the early seventies, and was a partner in the original firm of C. W. Claflin & Company. In
1875 C. L. Clafin was placed at the head of the Wor- cester branch of the business, and a wholesale depart- ment was established in Boston. For many years the firm was composed of C. L. Claflin, Mr. Young and Edward W. Pierce, of Brookline, Mr. Pierce having charge of the Boston office. During the five decades which have passed since the establishment of the orig- inal business the enterprise has steadily grown and pros- pered, changing its name and its form of organization several times, but always expanding. The old firm of C. W. Claflin & Company later became known as the Claflin Coal Company, and on April 1, 1910, the Claflin Coal Company was merged with the Sumner Coal Com- pany under the name of the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com- pany, under which corporate name the business has been continued to the present time (1923). The main office is now located at No. 9 Pleasant Street, and there are yards at Nos. 241 and 401 Southbridge Street, No. 301 Shrewsbury Street, and at No. 215 Ludlow Street. As president of the concern, Mr. Young is devoting his time and energies to the advancement of its interests, and his ability and skill have been important factors in the continued growth and prosperity of the enterprise. In addition to his responsibility as the chief executive of the Claflin-Sumner Coal Company, Mr. Young is also a member of the board of directors of the Worcester Bank and Trust Company. As a member of the Wor- cester Chamber of Commerce, he keeps closely in touch with the general economic situation in the city and con- tributes a valuable share to the advancement of the gen- eral prosperity of the city. He is a member of the Com- monwealth Club, of the Tatnuck Country Club, and the Worcester Country Club. Politically he gives his sup- port to the principles and the candidates of the Repub- lican party. Mr. Young has many friends in the city of Worcester and vicinity, and he is well known as a pro- gressive business man and an energetic and public- spirited citizen.
Arthur Osgood Young married, on January 16, 1890, Mary Valentine Claflin, who was born at Hopkinton, November 3, 1855, daughter of Charles Winslow and Anna Maria (Valentine) Claflin. Mrs. Young is de- scended from Robert Claflin, a Scotch soldier, captured by Cromwell and sent with other prisoners of war to New England, about 1650; settled in Wenham; died September 19, 1690. The name was originally spelled McClaflin, McLaughlin, etc. Daniel Claflin, son of the pioneer, was born in Wenham, moved to Hopkinton; married Sarah Edwards, and from about 1715 to the present time the Claflins have been one of the leading families of Hopkinton. Isaac Claflin, of the fifth gen- eration, was a soldier in the Revolution. In all her lines of ancestry, Mrs. Young is descended from the early English settlers of the Old Bay Colony. Mr. and Mrs. Young are the parents of three children: I. Charles Claflin, born December 5, 1893, member of the Tatnuck Country Club, the Worcester Country Club, the Com- monwealth Club, and the Kiwanis Club; now a director and assistant treasurer of the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com- pany ; married Edna T. Smith, of Worcester, and they reside at No. 221 Burncoat Street. Mrs. Young is a member of the Worcester Country Club and the Tatnuck Country Club. 2. Margaret Valentine, born February I,
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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY
1897. 3. Arthur Osgood, Jr., born November 5, 1898; now treasurer of the Framingham Coal Company, of Framingham, Massachusetts.
ARTHUR EDWARD CASWELL, as president of Bates Brothers Company, of Athol, Massachusetts, is a representative figure in the business life of this com- munity and is bearing a practical part in its welfare. He is a son of Otis E. Caswell, who was born at White- hall, Washington County, New York, and died at Mon- tague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, in the fall of 1888. He was a farmer by occupation, as most men in the rural communities of Massachusetts at that time were, and a man of progressive spirit, esteemed by all who knew him. The mother, Maria G. (Hunt) Caswell, was born at New Salem, Massachusetts, and died in Montague, in the year 1885.
Arthur Edward Caswell was born at Montague, Massachusetts, September 30, 1851. He attended the public schools of Montague, and as a young man was variously employed in that vicinity. In the year 1867 he began to learn the manufacture of fancy leather goods and pocket books, and in this general field he has been active since. On September 1, 1871, Mr. Caswell came to Athol and entered the employ of Palmer & Bates, now Bates Brothers Company, manufacturers of pocket books. He soon won promotion to the position of fore- man, and at the death of Mr. Charles A. Bates, who had been a member of the concern for many years, Mr. Cas- well was made superintendent of the plant, an office which he still ably fills. He is a director of the Athol Cooperative Bank, and by political affiliation is a Dem- ocrat, taking only the interest of the progressive citizen however, in public affairs. Mr. Caswell is a member of the Free and Accepted Masons, the Royal Arch Masons, and the Knights Templar, of Athol; also the Poquaig Club of Athol, Massachusetts. His religious affiliation is with the First Church, Unitarian, Inc., of Athol.
Mr. Caswell married, at South Deerfield, Massachu- setts, August 13, 1861, Elizabeth E. Perkins, who was born at Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and is a daughter of John Perkins.
ALBERT W. FARWELL-Broadly active in the world of mechanics for many years, Albert W. Farwell, of Worcester County, Massachusetts, is bearing a worthy and constructive part in present-day advance in his field, and the industries of this section are feeling the influence of his work. He has now for more than thirty-three years been associated with the W. A. Fuller Lumber Company and a branch company, the F. M. John- son Lumber Company, of Fitchburg. His public services also contribute in a definite way to the general welfare. Mr. Farwell is descended from distinguished ancestry, is a grandson of Levi and Lucy (Willard) Farwell, early settlers of Lancaster, Massachusetts, and in their day prominent in the business and social circles of the community. Levi Daniel Farwell, son of these parents and father of the subject of this review, was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, but was for many years a resident of Clinton, also in this county, and was a successful carpenter, prominent in the entire section. He married Christianna Cunningham, daughter of John and
Louisa (Rice) Cunningham, the father a native of Scot- land, the mother a direct descendant of the historic "Mayflower" company of 1620.
Albert W. Farwell was born at Clinton, Massachu- setts, November 5, 1868. His education was begun in the local public schools, and, following his completion of the high school course, he covered special work in mechanical drawing and general drafting at evening school. Serving an apprenticeship to the trades of ma- chinist and steam engineer, Mr. Farwell gained his first experience in the plant of the Bigelow Carpet Company, now the Bigelow-Hartford Carpet Company of Clinton, Following this activity he went to Oil City, Pennsyl- vania, where for about one year he was identified with the Oil Well Supply Company, as machinist and tool- maker. Thereafter returning to his native place, Mr. Farwell became associated with the W. A. Fuller Lum- ber Company of Clinton and Leominster. This was in November of the year 1890, and he has since continu- ously remained with these interests. Since the organ- ization of the F. M. Johnson Lumber Company, Mr. Farwell has had entire charge of production in both plants, the main offices of the company being at Leo- minster. He acts as consulting engineer as well as production manager. A resident of the town of Ster- ling, Mr. Farwell has been more or less active in the public service for a considerable period, and in recent years has filled official responsibility, now acting as clerk of the Board of Selectmen, on which board he has served since the year 1920. During the same period he has been Overseer of the Poor, and he has frequently served on various committees, including the Republican Town Committee. He is also a member of the Board of Library Trustees. Mr. Farwell is further active for the general good as a mechanical expert in legal cases arising from accidents of various kinds. Fra- ternally he is affiliated with Clinton Lodge, No. 89, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and he is a member of the Unitarian church, in the choir of which church he has sung for many years.
Mr. Farwell married, at Sterling, Massachusetts, De- cember 24, 1900, Annie M. Nixon, daughter of Charles Otis and Maria (Pratt) Nixon.
CHARLES M. PROCTOR, D. M. D .- Bearing a famous name long of beneficent significance both in old England and New England, Dr. Charles M. Proctor of Southboro, Massachusetts, is giving to the progress of dental science to-day a threefold service; efficiency in practice, ability in public addresses on the subject of his profession, and the permanence of original research in printed form. Locally, Dr. Proctor's fame is a mat- ter of pride to the people, as well as direct benefit through his service as a dental practitioner, and to all who are familiar with the Proctor family in New Eng- land, his life and career are of interest.
The name of Proctor is derived from the Latin procurator, signifying one who acts for another, i. e., a proxy. An ancient family in England, the Proctors were originally prominent in Yorkshire, but at the be- ginning of the sixteenth century the family was estab- lished at Shawdon. Robert Proctor, the pioneer in America, came to New England and was made a free-
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BIOGRAPHICAL
man at Concord, Massachusetts, in - 1643. Ten years later he was one of the founders of Chelmsford, Massa- chusetts, the story of this settlement being one of his- toric interest. In association with Richard Hildreth, his father-in-law, and twenty-seven other pioneers of the time, Robert Proctor petitioned the General Court in 1653 for a "grant of land six miles square, to begin at Merrimack River at a neck of land next to Concord River and so run up Concord River, south and west into the country to make up that circumference or quantity of land as is above expressed." Mr. Proctor married, December 31, 1645, Jane Hildreth, the eldest daughter of Richard Hildreth, of Concord and Chelms- ford, the ancestor of the Hildreths of America, who died at Chelmsford in 1688, and whose younger daughter, Abigail, became the wife of Moses Parker. Robert Proctor's elder children were born in Chelmsford, but his younger children, to the number of four or five, were born in Concord. Among his descendants many settled in the neighboring towns, but others pressed into the wilderness, founding settlements in New Hampshire, Vermont and New York State, and eventually scatter- ing far into the West. Robert Proctor died April 28, 1697, in Chelmsford, and twelve children survived him. The line of descent from Robert Proctor is through James (I), James (II), James (III), Jonathan, James (IV), Hiel and Isaac K. Jonathan Proctor was a' drummer of the Second Precinct Company of Woburn during the Revolutionary War and saw active service in the battle of Bennington. James (IV) Proctor was a soldier in Captain Jeremiah Marston's company of New Hampshire, this company being a part of Colonel John Goffe's regiment, and served in the Colonial forces at the battle of Crown Point and other actions in the Revolutionary War. He died on his way home from Ticonderoga, November II, 1776.
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