USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 19
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(IV.) Captain Abel Cushing, son of Theophilus and Mary (Thaxter) Cushing, was born in Hingham, Oc- tober 24, 1696, died May 20, 1750. He was a farmer and mill owner, and Selectman of Hingham for many years. His house was on South Pleasant Street. He married, November 24, 1720, Mary Jacob, born Sep- tember 29, 1698, daughter of Peter and Hannah (Allen) Jacob. Children, born in Hingham: Mary, born Au- gust 12, 1722, died October 12, 1726; David, born July 12, 1724, died October 17, 1726; David, of further men- tion; Abel, born January 26, 1729-30, married, January 29, 1758, Hannah Crocker; Mary, born January 28, 1731- 32, married, March 25, 1753, Rev. Daniel Shute; Laban, born February 21, 1733-34, died May 18, 1747; Infant, born January 21, 1736-37, died same day; Lydia, born April 23, 1738, married, January 31, 1759, Gideon Hay- ward; Abigail, born June 14, 1741, married, October 2, 1761, Thomas Hersey.
(V.) Colonel David Cushing, son of Abel and Mary (Jacob) Cushing, was born in Hingham, September 7, 1727, died February 15, 1800. He lived on Pleasant Street, Hingham, and was an energetic and prominent man in town affairs. He was Selectman in 1768-69-70- 71-75-76. He served in the Revolution, fourth lieutenant of Captain Jotham Loring's Company, on the Lexington alarm, April 19, 1775; sergeant in Captain Pyam Cush- ing's Company, Colonel Solomon Lovell's Regiment, at Hull and Dorchester in 1776; lieutenant-colonel of the same regiment, commissioned February 7, 1776; and colonel of the 2d Suffolk Regiment, in Brigadier Gen- eral Lovell's Brigade, in 1778. He married (first), April 9, 1752, Ruth Lincoln, baptized February 25, 1732-33, died July 6, 1761, daughter of Samuel and Ruth (Cushing) Lincoln, of Hingham. He married (second), January 23, 1763, Mabel Gardner, born Janu- ary 6, 1738-39, died August 14, 1798, daughter of Hosea and Mary (Whiting) Gardner. Children born in Hing- ham, by first wife : Ruth, born November 1, 1752, married, August 30, 1770, Perez Cushing; David, of further men- tion; Molly, born September 26, 1756, married, January 30, 1783, Joshua Mann; Jonathan, born April 13, 1759; Lydia, born June 2, 1761, married, September 3, 1786, Asaph Tracy. Children by second wife: Abel, born October 22, 1763, married, November 14, 1784, Sarah Wilder; Hosea, born May 29, 1765; Charles
Whiting, born November 7, 1766; Russell, born April 24, 1768, died February 2, 1851; Nancy, born March 10, 1770, died unmarried, December 27, 1835; Jane, born April 3, 1772, married, No- vember 6, 1796, Lemuel Dwelley; Lucy, born October 18, 1773, married, May 24, 1798, David Lewis; Chris- tiana, born March 14, 1775, died unmarried, July I, 1822; Elnathan, born April 30, 1777, removed to Scitu- ate; Jerusha, born February 3, 1779, died unmarried, September 18, 1862; Josiah, born April 8, 1781; and Mabel, born March 6, 1783, married, 1810, William Rouse, of Bath, Maine.
(VI.) Captain David Cushing, son of Colonel David and Ruth (Lincoln) Cushing, was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, July 2, 1754, and died May 3, 1827. He served in the Revolutionary War as fourth lieutenant in Captain Jotham Loring's (Hingham) company, in 1775, and also as sergeant in Captain Pyam Cushing's com- pany, Colonel Solomon Lovell's regiment, in 1776. He took an active part in the public affairs of Hingham, serving as Constable in 1784, and consecutively through 1787, and also from 1790 to 1794 inclusive. He was a' tanner, an innkeeper, and a farmer, and in 1798 he re- moved to Ashburnham, Massachusetts. He married, October 14, 1779, Hannah Cushing, daughter of Joseph and Sarah (Leavitt) Cushing, who was born in Hing- ham, April 26, 1760, and died March 13, 1823. Their children were: Joseph, Hannah, David, Susannah, La- ban, of further mention; Deborah, Moses, and Sarah Leavitt.
(VII.) Laban Cushing, son of Captain David and Hannah (Cushing) Cushing, was born in Hingham, Massachusetts, April 29, 1791, and died in Ashburnham, Massachusetts, October 17, 1847. He served as a drummer in the War of 1812, and in 1817 removed to Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, from which place he returned to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, in 1830. He married, April 23, 1811, Nancy Whitney, daughter of Silas Whit- ney. She died in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, January 27, 1871. Their children were: Nancy Whitney, Sarah Whittington, Joseph, of further mention; Laban, Re- becca, Susan, Mary Jane, Charles G., Harriet Maria, George Russell, David M., and Hannah Elizabeth.
(VIII.) Joseph Cushing, son of Laban and Nancy (Whitney) Cushing, was born in Brooklyn, Pennsyl- vania, October 6, 1817, and died July 3, 1894. In 1830 he removed to Ashburnham, Massachusetts, from which place he later removed to Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and resided in the latter place for a period of thirty years. He married (first), July 22, 1841, Elmira Marble, daugh- ter of Stephen Marble. She died in 1845, and he mar- ried (second), January 31, 1847, Mary Ann Arnold. She died August 23, 1866, and he married (third), March, 1868, Elizabeth Cushing, daughter of Moses and Gertrude (Polley) Cushing. Elizabeth (Cushing) Cushing died September 23, 1875. To the first marriage one son was born, Milton Marble, of further mention. Children of the second marriage are: Joseph and Susan.
(IX.) Milton Marble Cushing, son of Joseph and El- mira (Marble) Cushing, was born in Fitchburg, Massa- chusetts, September 4, 1844, and after receiving his edu- cation in the schools of Fitchburg and Groton, and at Eastman Business College, became identified with the
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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY
firm of J. Cushing Company, a concern founded by his father, Joseph Cushing. In 1866 he became a partner is the business and continued to devote his energies to the advancement of its interests to the time of his death, May 9, 1879. He married, June 12, 1867, Ellen Maria Leland, and they were the parents of seven children: Ethel (twin), who was born March II, 1868, and died May 26, 1876; Joseph (twin), born March II, 1868, died August 4, 1868; Milton L., of further men- tion; Ellen M., who was born January 4, 1873; Joseph, who was born September II, 1874, and died Septem- ber 18, 1896; Anna W., who was born November 27, 1876; and Matthew, who was born February 21, 1878.
(X.) Milton Lcland Cushing, son of Milton M. and Ellen Maria (Leland) Cushing, was born at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, January 13, 1871. Following his early education in the local public schools he attended Fitch- burg High School, then went to Poughkeepsie, New York, where he took the usual course at Eastman's Busi- ness College. In 1891 Mr. Cushing became identified with the J. Cushing Company and taking a minor posi- tion, familiarized himself with the business by the prac- tical method of experience in every department, until now for the past seven years he has filled the office of president and manager. Other affiliations being: Di- rector of the Safety Fund National Bank, of Fitchburg, and a trustee of the Worcester North Savings Institu- tion, also of Fitchburg; was one of the founders, first vice-president, and is now treasurer of The Grain Dealers' Mutual Insurance Company, of Boston, Massa- chusetts ; and is a member of the Fitchburg Chamber of Commerce; Boston Chamber of Commerce, and of the Chicago Board of Trade. He was a member of the City Council in 1905, and in 1906 was elected to the School Committee of Fitchburg, on which he served for three
years. During the World War he was a member of the Massachusetts National Guard at Boston, as a' member of Company C, Ist Motor Corps (1917-1918). He is a member of the Fay Club and the Oak Hill Country Club, of Fitchburg; and the Exchange Club and City Club, of Boston. His religious affiliation is with the Unitarian church, of Fitchburg.
Milton Leland Cushing married, at Fitchburg, Massa- chusetts, June 19, 1895, Gertrude Carolyn Brown, daughter of James and Flora (Wood) Brown, and they are the parents of four children: I. Barbara, born April 23, 1897, was educated in Fitchburg gram- mar and high schools, Garland School of Boston, and Vassar College; married Bigelow Crocker, and has two children : Rosemary and Bigelow, Jr. 2. Whitney, born March 16, 1899, attended Andover Preparatory School and graduated from Yale in 1924 with the degree of Bachelor of Science. 3. Joseph, born November 7, 1900, educated in Fitchburg schools, in Andover Pre- paratory School, and Williams College. 4. Carolyn, born July 4, 1905, and educated in Fitchburg schools and Miss Marot's Private School, at Thompson, Connec- ticut.
ELLSWORTH MINOTT BROWN, president of the widely known firm, Brown Brothers Company, of Gardner, Massachusetts, is a man who may well be called a man of action. That his energy and initiative have
counted both for his own advantage and for the pros- perity of the community is clearly evidenced by the im- portance of the industry of which, for more than twenty-five years, he has been the head. Mr. Brown is a son of Franklin O. and Mary A. (Patch) Brown. The father, who was born in Templeton, Massachusetts, in 1826, went to Winchendon in his youth, and there en- tered the lumber business as an employee, later owning his own business and operating a small saw mill. A young man of high spirit and great patriotism, he en- listed in the Civil War, and served with honor and dis- tinction, the hardships of this experience becoming, in a large measure, responsible for his early death, in Oc- tober, 1874. Mary A. (Patch) Brown, born in Brattle- boro, Vermont, in 1826, removed to South Royalston, Massachusetts, but after her children had settled in Gardner, Massachusetts, she wished to be near them and finally did remove to Gardner, where she passed away in 1919.
Ellsworth Minott Brown was born in Winchendon, Massachusetts, April 5, 1864. He attended the public schools of Templeton and Winchendon until twelve years of age, but from that time had few school advan- tages. From the age of ten years, when he was left fatherless, he lived out with other families, working at whatever he could find to do in order to earn his own living and relieve his mother of the burden of his sup- port. When he was able to be of some assistance to her, he returned home for two years, then, in 1880, he located in Gardner and secured employment in a chair factory. About a year later he joined the factory force of the firm of S. Bent & Brothers, with whom he was associated for a period of twelve years. There Mr. Brown gained much practical experience, thoroughly familiarizing himself with the production end of the business, and also gaining a broad general idea of the methods of distribution. In 1892 he resigned his posi- tion with the Bent Brothers to become associated with his brother, Charles F. Brown, in the retail wood busi- ness, they also conducting a carpet cleaning department, which was not only profitable but was greatly appreci- ated by the local housekeepers. In 1898, in association with another brother, Benjamin J. Brown, he founded the chair manufacturing business which has been for ycars a leader in its field in Gardner. The brothers continued partners until the death of Charles F. Brown, January 20, 1001, and in 1902 the business was in- corporated, with Ellsworth M. Brown as president. Nearly a year prior to incorporation, Jesse E. Bodette had come into the partnership, and on incorporation he was elected vice-president. He died July 24, 1905. On January 1, 1904, Marden H. Turner bought an interest in the company, and in 1907 was chosen vice-president, the officers of Brown Brothers Company now being (1923), Ellsworth M. Brown, president; Marden H. Turner, vice-president; Benjamin J. Brown, treasurer and secretary.
Under the leadership of Ellsworth M. Brown this en- terprise has advanced to a foremost position in the manu- facture of chairs, tea room, and breakfast room furni- ture and a line of sp. sialties of this general character. For a number of years they have transacted an annual business of about $400,000, their banner year (in war
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BIOGRAPHICAL
times) having been very near a half million. As presi- dent of this important company, Ellsworth M. Brown holds a prominent position in the business world of Gardner, and is a member of the Chamber of Com- merce. He is affiliated with the Chair Town Cooperative Bank as a stockholder and director, and for three years served as a member of the Board of Selectmen of Gardner. Fraternally he is identified with Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is a member and Past Commander of Charles Sumner Camp, No. 37, Sons of Veterans, and Past Division Commander of the Massachusetts Division of that order. Politically he supports the Republican party.
Ellsworth M. Brown married, in 1884, Lizzie E. Holt, of Hubbardston, Massachusetts, daughter of Elias O. and Lucy (Underwood) Holt. Mr. and Mrs. Brown are the parents of three children: I. Estelle, a graduate of Gardner High School, class of 1904. 2. Franklin O., a graduate of Gardner High School, class of 1906, and an employee of Brown Brothers Company. 3. Harold F., a graduate of Gardner High School, class of 1910, and of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, B. S., class of 1915, now identified with Brown Brothers Company. He married, October 28, 1916, Jessie I. Lusk, daughter of Frank and Louisa (Dargie) Lusk.
BENJAMIN J. BROWN-As one of the founders and for many years treasurer of the Brown Brothers Company, of Gardner, Massachusetts, Benjamin J. Brown has been an important factor in the progress of that company, manufacturers of chairs, breakfast and tea-room furniture and other specialties of that general class. He is a son of Franklin O. and Mary A. (Patch) Brown, the father born in Templeton, Massachusetts, in 1826. Franklin O. Brown went to Winchendon as a young man and became identified in the lumber busi- ness there, eventually engaging in business for himself and operating a small saw mill. He was a' veteran of the Civil War, and died at a comparatively early age, in October, 1874, the exposure and hardships of the war hastening his death. Mary A. (Patch) Brown, born in Brattleboro, Vermont, in 1826, removed to South Roy- alston, Massachusetts, but after her children had settled in Gardner, yearning to be near them, passed her de- clining years there, her death occurring in 1919.
Benjamin J. Brown was born at Winchendon, Massa- chusetts, March 4, 1870. Only four and one-half years of age when the death of his father occurred and the family being left without means of support, he began, when still a small child, to contribute his mite towards the maintenance of the family. Thus his education was very limited and while he attended the schools of South Royalston, he helped with the work which was brought home from the factory nearby, the caning of chairs being placed out in the different homes of the town, where from childhood to old age, all' members of the family participated in the work. As soon as he was able to assume larger responsibilities Mr. Brown en- tered the employ of the American Woolen Mills, where he remained for a time. In the spring of 1882 he came to Gardner and during that summer was employed in
the chair factory of S. K. Pierce & Son. Returning to South Royalston in the fall, he attended school the fol- lowing winter, working morning and evening and every spare hour at the caning of chairs. In 1883 he again came to Gardner and once more entered the S. K. Pierce & Son's factory. For seventeen years he con- tinued active in the chair industry in Gardner, during twelve years of that period with the L. B. Ramsdall Company. There he began in the capacity of assistant to Thomas E. Cody, who is now president, but at that time general manager. Mr. Brown worked with Mr .. Cody in the management of the business until 1898, then resigning to establish himself in business in a similar line of manufacture. In partnership with his two brothers, Ellsworth M. and Charles F. Brown, the firm of Brown Brothers was founded and the present in- dustry established. In 1902 the business was incor- porated under the name of the Brown Brothers Com- pany, Benjamin J. Brown becoming secretary and treas- urer, also general manager of the plant, and was jointly instrumental in building up the business and developing it to its present importance. They have for some years done an annual business amounting to fully $400,000, and their heaviest year, which occurred during the World War, showed a volume of nearly a half million dollars. Ellsworth M. Brown has been president of the com- pany since its incorporation, but Charles F. Brown, the other partner, died January 20, 1901, the year prior to the incorporation. A brother-in-law, Jesse E. Bodette, purchased the interest of the deceased partner and be- came vice-president, and later Marden H. Turner was made vice-president, an office he still holds.
Benjamin J. Brown is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, which he serves as a member of the board of directors and vice-president; is a direc- tor and vice-president of the Gardner Trust Company, and a trustee of Gardner Savings Bank. A Republican in political affiliation, he is interested in all civic advance, and for the past half a dozen years has served as a member of the Board of Water and Sewer Commis- sioners. Fraternally Mr. Brown holds membership in Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chap- ter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benev- olent and Protective Order of Elks; and is a member of Charles Sumner Camp, No. 37, Sons of Veterans. His clubs are: The Gardner Boat, the Oak Hill Country, and the Monomonack Sporting Club.
Benjamin J. Brown married, January 10, 1889, Maude A. Gilbert, of Gardner, and they are the parents of four children : Clayton E., an employe of Brown Broth- ers ; Frances Adeline, at home; Guy B., also employed by the Brown Brothers; and Clarence E., who died at the age of four years.
JOHN EDWARD SWIFT, one of the professional men of Worcester County, Massachusetts, is active in civic and political affairs, and has been engaged in legal practice in Milford and in Boston since 1902.
Born in Milford, Massachusetts, December 7, 1879, Mr. Swift is a son of Thomas J., now retired from active life, and Mary J. (McDonough) Swift, who died
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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY
September 8, 1921. He received his early education in the public schools of Milford, Massachusetts, and after his graduation from the high school there, in 1896, became a student in Boston College, from which he was graduated in 1899. He then began his professional studies in the law school of Boston University, com- pleting his course there in 1902. During the two decades which have passed since that time he has been steadily and continuously engaged in legal practice in Milford and Boston. He has built up a large and important patronage and has made for himself a reputation which is a valuable business asset.
He has always taken a deep interest in local civic affairs and in political affairs in general, has served as Town Treasurer for eleven years, and has been a member of the School Board for eighteen years. Politically he gives his support to the principles and candidates of the Democratic party, and has been chosen to serve as dele- gate to the Democratic National Convention. He was a candidate in 1922 for the office of Attorney General of Massachusetts. He is District Deputy of the Knights of Columbus; a member of Milford Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; of the Catholic Foresters ; of Division 7, Ancient Order of Hibernians; and pro- fessionally is affiliated with the Massachusetts Bar As- sociation, the Worcester County Bar Association, and a member of the United States Supreme Court Bar. He is also a member of the Boston City Club. His re- ligious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary's, at Milford.
John Edward Swift, married, on April 18, 1917, at Milford, Massachusetts, Emily L. Lee, daughter of William and Virginia (Parker) Lee. Mr. and Mrs. Swift are the parents of three children : John Edward, Jr., who was born January 20, 1918; Marilyn I., born May 5, 1920; and Francis Lee, born December 7, 1923.
ARTHUR H. TURNER-The progressive activities of the town of Harvard, Massachusetts, have commanded the constructive attention of Arthur H. Turner for many years, and in both his individual interests and public service he has done much to forward the welfare of the community and stabilize economic conditions. He is numbered among the broadly useful and estimable men of Worcester County. Mr. Turner is a member of an old and distinguished family of this State, his great- grandfather, Prince Turner, having served in the Rev- olutionary War, supporting the cause of the colonies. Luther Turner, Mr. Turner's grandfather, was an hon- ored figure of his time, and with his wife, Abigail, bore a leading part in the social progress of the day. Oliver Turner, son of these parents and Mr. Turner's father, was among the early settlers of the community now known as Harvard, and was by trade a' pump maker, but during his later years was employed by the United States Government in the tempering of steel. He spent the decline of life on the farm. Oliver Turner married Rebecca Harrod, daughter of Major William K. and Rebecca' (Staples) Harrod, her father a blacksmith, of Harvard, her mother of Maine stock.
Arthur H. Turner was born at Harvard, Massachu- setts, September 26, 1858. His education was received in the public schools of Lancaster and at Lawrence Acad-
emy, at Groton, Massachusetts, and his natural taste and ability for mathematics, largely determined his future. Mr. Turner has devoted considerable time and attention to farming activities since his youth, but dur- ing his entire career has been engaged in bookkeeping and accounting along with his other interests. For many years he was a prominent factor in the public ad- vance, and for seventeen years served on the local School Committee. His activities as Overseer of the Poor did much for the permanent welfare of wards of the community, and he served acceptably in the exacting office of Assessor for one year. Elected treasurer of the town of Harvard in the year 1912, he has ably filled this office since. These various positions of local usefulness, however, were only such as contribute to the immediate progress and steady growth of the civic body. As long ago as the year 1895 Mr. Turner was elected Representative of the town of Harvard in the House of Assembly of the State of Massachusetts, and in the discharge of his duties in the legislative halls of the State he not only gained personal distinction, but re- flected credit upon the constituency which placed him in this position of honor. He was again elected Repre- sentative in 1920, and added to the usefulness which . marked his previous services to the State, his long ex- perience in affairs and familiarity with conditions counted constructively in the deliberations of the legis- lative body. Mr. Turner is prominent in fraternal circles as a member of Harvard Lodge, No. 149, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and Harvard Grange, Patrons of Husbandry. He attends the Unitarian church, and acts as treasurer of the church society.
Arthur H. Turner married, at Sterling, Massachu- setts, in November, 1888, Emily G. Heywood, daughter of Moses B. and Maria (Nichols) Heywood, who, for many years, were well known in the industrial and social life of Sterling. Mr. and Mrs. Turner are the parents of two sons: Earl O., of whom further ; and Stanley H., of whom further.
Earl O. Turner was born at Harvard, Massachusetts, May 19, 1893. Following the completion of his elemen- tary and intermediate studies, he entered the Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology, from which he was graduated in the class of 1914 with the degree of Bach- elor of Science. He has been active since as professor of engineering and hydraulics at the University of New Brunswick, at Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is a veteran of the World War, having enlisted in the United States Army Aviation Signal Corps in Decem- ber, 1917. Commissioned second lieutenant in March of the following year, he was detailed to the North- west on engineering activities for the government. He was active there in the building of railroads and the getting out of spruce lumber for the construction of aeroplanes. Mr. Turner taught the use of the gas mask in Tennessee, but the signing of the armistice intervened before he was called overseas, and he received his hon- orable discharge from the service on December 31, 1918.
Stanley H. Turner was born in Harvard, Massachu- setts, November 3, 1900. His early education covered, he entered Worcester Technical Institute, from which he was graduated in the class of 1922, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. Professionally active for one
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