History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 21

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, editor
Publication date: 1924
Publisher: New York, Chicago, Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 566

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 21

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BIOGRAPHICAL

Herbert Parker married, September 22, 1886, Mary Carney Vose, of Lowell, Massachusetts, and Mr. and Mrs. Parker are the parents of six children: I. George A., born October 8, 1887, a graduate of Harvard Uni- versity, and of the Harvard Law School. He was in the Massachusetts State Militia, and went to the Mexican border with Battery A, Ist Massachusetts Field Artillery, as lieutenant. After his return from the border he was made captain of Battery C, Ist Massachusetts Artillery, which was mustered into Federal service as the IOIst Field Artillery and sent overseas in September, 1917. He took part in the offensives and was wounded and gassed in action at Chateau Thiery, in July, 1918. After his release from the hospital he returned to his regi- ment and was in the St. Mihiel drive and continued with the American advance until the armistice. He was promoted to the rank of major, and returned with the 102d Field Artillery in April, 1919. He is now com- mander of the Massachusetts State Police Patrol. 2. Katherine V., educated in private finishing schools. 3. Edith, educated in private finishing schools, and also a graduate nurse of the Massachusetts General Hospital. 4. Haven, educated at the Milton Academy, a graduate of Harvard University, and now a student in the Har- vard Law School. 5. Mary Carney, educated at Miss Walker's Private School, and now (1923) attending Bryn Mawr College. 6. Harriet Felton, educated also at Miss Walker's School, and now a student at Bryn Mawr College.

REV. ELLSWORTH WASHINGTON PHIL- LIPS, a minister of the Congregational church, began his pastoral career at Worcester in 1891, and there he is yet, as executive secretary of the Worcester City Missionary Society, after a ministerial career covering more than three decades, although his service has been with different churches of Worcester and with the First Church, of Whitman, Massachusetts. He is a son of Washington and Eliza E. (Day) Phillips, his father a farmer.

Ellsworth W. Phillips was born August 5, 1861. He began his education in the village public school. He prepared in Kimball Union Academy, Meriden, New Hampshire, finishing with graduation as valedictorian in the class of 1883. From the academy he passed to Williams College, Williamstown, Massachusetts, there receiving the Bachelor's degree, class of 1888. Decid- ing upon the holy profession, he entered Hartford Theological Seminary, at Hartford, Connecticut, and thence was graduated, class of 1891. At the comple- tion of his theological course in 1891, Mr. Phillips was installed pastor of Hope Congregational Church, of Worcester, Massachusetts, and there continued until 1906. He then accepted a call from the First Congre- gational Church, of Whitman, Massachusetts, and served that society faithfully and acceptably for five years, 1906-19II. During the years 1912-1914 he was assistant to the pastor of Union Congregational Church, of Wor- cester. In 1915 he was called to the executive secre- taryship of the City Missionary Society of the Congre- gational Churches. In this capacity he organized, in 1916, the Hadwen Park Congregational Church, over which he had the pastoral care until 1920, when he

accepted the pastorate of the Memorial Congregational Church, which was founded and endowed in 1855, as a mission church, by the late Deacon Ichabod Washburn, noted as the man who established the first wire business in America, and gave Worcester her greatest industry, and has been the city's greatest benefactor. By this ar- rangement the city mission church and the City Mis- sionary Society were brought into close cooperation, and Mr. Phillips continues to hold the dual relationship of pastor of the church and secretary of the society at the time of this writing, December, 1923. His work for the church has been greatly blessed, and he is one of the strong men of his denomination. Rev. Ellsworth W. Phillips is a member of many religious bodies and societies, the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and Worcester Congregational Club.

He married, in Sharon, Vermont, October 7, 1891, Charlotte May Chamberlin, daughter of Edward Bing- ham and Jennie (Moore) Chamberlin. Rev. and Mrs. Phillips are the parents of four children: Robert Ells- worth, born November 2, 1892; Ruth Chamberlin, born January 20, 1896; Charlotte Day, born July 27, 1901 ; Margaret Moore, born October I, 1904.

HON. FRANCIS PRESCOTT-As president of the Savings Bank of Grafton, and as representative of his fellow-citizens in both houses of the State Legisla- ture, Hon. Francis Prescott has rendered valuable ser- vice to the community and the district in which he lives. Few men of Grafton are better known and none are more highly esteemed than is Mr. Prescott.

The Prescott family is the oldest in Worcester County, tracing its descent from John Prescott, the pioneer settler in that section of the State. Otis B. Prescott, of Beacon Street, Boston, grandfather of Hon. Francis Prescott was a native of Lancaster, Massachusetts. He married Ruth W. Brooks, of Cambridge, daughter of Calvin and Ruth (Wetherbee) Brooks, and they were the parents of Calvin B., who married Lucy E. Francis, of Boston, daughter Nathaniel and Mary (Leavitt) Francis.

Hon. Francis Prescott, son of Calvin B. and Lucy E. (Francis) Prescott, was born in Newton, Massachu- setts, December 28, 1877, and received his early educa- tion in the public schools of Newton. After two years' residence abroad he entered Harvard College, from which he was graduated in 1901, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1906, after several years spent with banking institutions in Boston, he removed to Grafton, Massachusetts, and interested himself in farm- ing and with the development of what is now known as the Savings Bank of Grafton. That institution has been developed and placed on a sound footing, and is now known among the well-established financial con- cerns of Worcester County. In addition to his activ- ities and responsibilities in connection with the Grafton Savings Bank, Mr. Prescott has taken an active part in public affairs, and in 1915 was elected to represent his district in the State House of Representatives. He served with notable efficiency in 1916 and 1918, when he was elected to the State Senate, where he again rep- resented his constituents faithfully and with notable ability until 1920. He has served locally as chairman of

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the Board of Selectmen, and has held various other town offices. In 1917, at the beginning of the World War, he was appointed by the President as a member of the Selective Service, and both in his local official service and in the wider responsibilities he assumed, he gave full satisfaction to those whom hc represented, and holds the respect and esteem of his fellow-citizens. He is well known in club circles, being a member of the Worcester Club, the Harvard Club of Worcester and of Boston, and the Exchange Club of Boston. His religious affiliation and that of his family is with the Congregational church.

On January 6, 1906, at Newton, Massachusetts, Hon. Francis Prescott married Louisa Stearns, daughter of Frank W. and Emily W. (Clark) Stearns, and they are the parents of four children: Emily and Elizabeth (twins), born October 6, 1907; Francis Stearns, born March 4, 1910; and John Clark, born December 16, 19II.

AUSTIN E. LIVINGSTONE, LL. B., counted among the progressive and forward-looking young men of Gardner, Massachusetts, has been a successful attorney since coming of age. He bore a part in the activities of the World War and has since been brought forward in the public service of Gardner, where his legal train- ing and professional experience is making him useful to the people. Mr. Livingstone is a son of Edward J. Livingstone, who was born in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, and became identified with the street railway service of Framingham, Massachusetts, at the time of its being opened to the public. He is still active in that connec- tion. Edward J. Livingstone married Mary F. McNa- mara, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, and was brought East by her parents when an infant in arms, her lifetime having been spent in Framingham and vi- cinity.

Austin E. Livingstone was born in Framingham, Massachusetts, April 5, 1890. He first attended the pub- lic schools of Framingham and later of Milford, and was graduated from the Milford High School in the class of 1907. He then entered Boston University Law School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1910 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. At that time still under twenty-one years of age, he could not take up the practice of law, and accordingly he spent a year as clerk in the law office of James Milton Hall, of Boston, then passed the bar examinations and was ad- mitted to the bar in Massachusetts, in August, 19II. Shortly thereafter coming to Gardner, he opened his law office here and has been in practice independently since. Mr. Livingstone has built up an enviable reputa- tion through his ability as an advocate and his exhaust- ive knowledge of the law, having achieved marked suc- cess. His commodious offices are in the Gardner Sav- ings Bank Building. Enlisting in the service in the World War in December, 1917, Mr. Livingstone was detailed to the Officers' Training Camp at Columbus, Ohio, where he was commissioned second lieutenant on March 9, 1918, following which he was sent to the Wil- bur Wright Field, at Dayton, Ohio. There he re- mained on duty until his discharge on December 16, 1918.

Politically Mr. Livingstone supports the Republican

party. He was brought forward as a member of the Town Advisory Board in 1917, serving for two years, and in 1919 was made a member of the Board of Health, serving one year, and is now a member of the School Committee of Gardner. A cordial and earnest worker in all movements for civic advance and public welfare, he is esteemed as one of Gardner's able lawyers and progressive citizens. Mr. Livingstone is a member of Gardner Council, No. 396, Knights of Columbus, and the Bishop Beaven Assembly (fourth degree) Knights of Columbus. He is a member of Gardner Lodge, No. 426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Ancient Order of Hibernians; and the Gamma Eta Gamma, a legal fraternity. He is a member of the American Legion, the Oak Hill Country Club, and the Chair City Club of Gardner, and is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Livingstone married, on August 17, 1915, Mary Sullivan, of Ware, Massachusetts, and they have one child, Edward Austin, born May 29, 1922.

WALTER NAHUM HOWE-For the last twenty- four years Walter Nahum Howe has been the effi- cient business manager of the Leominster "Enterprise," with which concern he has been associated throughout the entire period of his active career. He is widely known in Worcester County, and is one of the im- portant factors in the success of the publication with which he is identified.

Walter Nahum Howe was born in Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, February 13, 1866, son of Nahum Howe and Nancy A. (Harris) Howe, the former of whom was engaged first as a mill operator and later as the pro- prietor of a saw mill. Walter Nahum Howe received his earliest education in the public schools of his native district, and then became a student in Cushing Academy. When his academic course was completed he prepared for his business career by taking a commercial course in the Bryant & Stratton Business School of Boston. On August 2, 1886, he became an apprentice in the employ of the Leominster "Enterprise," where he learned the printer's trade. He was energetic and industrious, and it was characteristic of the man that he was con- tent with nothing less than the best degree of skill in whatever work he undertook. He was soon made fore- man, and after a few years became a member of the firm, in which organization he held the office of treasurer. For the last twenty-four years, as has been stated, he has held the position of business manager, and it is to his enterprise and energy that a large degree of the success of the business is due. He has steadily in- creased the subscription list, has succeeded in collecting bills where more than one person has failed, and has held the organization to a high standard of business honor and integrity. He is a "hustler" in the best sense of the word, and the service he renders · is invaluable. In addition to his responsibilities in connection with the "Enterprise" office, Mr. Howe has for several years served as a member of the board of trustees of the City Library, and that position he still holds. He is a member of the Associated Press, and finds recreation in traveling, especially in an automobile. Fraternally he is a member of Monoosnock Council, Royal Arcanum, of Leomin-

Walter A. Home

2. D. Miller

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BIOGRAPHICAL

ster, which several years ago he served as Regent. He is also a member of Wilder Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Leominster; Thomas Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Fitchburg; Jerusalem Commandery, Knights Templar, of Fitchburg; and of Leominster Lodge, No. 86, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. He holds membership in the Masonic Club, and his religious con- nection is with the Pilgrim Congregational Church of Leominster, of which he is a member and has been clerk of same for twenty-three years.

Mr. Howe married, at Leominster, Massachusetts, Oc- tober 22, 1890, Hattie M. Wright, daughter of George O. and Mary (Blood) Wright. Mr. and Mrs. Howe are the parents of five children : Mildred W., who was born October 5, 1892; Helen M., who was born May 29, 1895, married William James, of Leominster, and they have one child, Robert Howe, born September 13, 1921; Laura E., who was born March 29, 1897; Ruth E., who was born August 4, 1900; and Evelyn L., who was born September 19, 19II.

HON. JOEL D. MILLER-A life which meant much to the people of Leominster, Massachusetts, and indeed to Worcester County and to the State of Massa- chusetts, was that of the Hon. Joel D. Miller, clergy- man, editor, public servant, and at all times the pro- gressive spirit, the benevolent citizen, the fearless agi- tator for right and condemner of wrong, in short, the Christian gentleman. Senator Miller's life from youth down through the years to the hour of his passing was an example of the highest virtues and an exponent of worthy effort, and his memory forms one of the cher- ished treasures of the people of Leominster.

Joel D. Miller was born at Athol, Massachusetts, Oc- tober 10, 1837. His early education was acquired in the local schools and after a preparatory course at Ber- nardston Academy, he entered Williams College, at Williamstown, Massachusetts, from which he was grad- uated in the class of 1864, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and entitled to the Phi Beta Kappa pin. Two years after his graduation he supplied a pulpit at West Royalston, Massachusetts, and at that time was ordained a minister of the Baptist church. The opening before him of other worthy branches of professional effort determined him upon declining a regular pastorate, and as long as he lived, although he preached frequently and much good resulted from his public utterances, he never held a reg- ular charge. Although ordained in the Baptist church, the pulpits of many denominations were the scenes of his Christian service, and in later years he became a deacon emeritus of the Pilgrim Congregational Church. The profession of pedagogy was Mr. Miller's early field of endeavor, and after teaching in Jewett (New York) Academy and the Athol (Massachusetts) High School, he was made principal of the Field High School of Leominster, Massachusetts, March 27, 1867, thereby be- coming the thirteenth principal of that institution. He served in that capacity for about a quarter of a century, giving the influence of a great spirit, and impressing upon the plastic minds of the youth who came under his teachings the mark of his own lofty ideals. Many young men and women of that day graduated from this school, went out into the world to lives of broad useful-

ness in the professions and in commercial and industrial activities and carried with them inspiring memories of Mr. Miller's personality and teachings. These memories bore deep significance to their lives, for they had loved him and had learned of him the lessons of truth and fidelity to the principles of right in a way which never could have been accomplished under a less genial and under- standing instructor. His influence remained with them through the years and followed them into their every relation in life, giving them courage in trying circum- stances and faith at all times in the good and worthy.

In the year 1885 Mr. Miller entered upon a field of effort, wider, because its scope is unlimited, and because in this field the utterance of the man finds permanent form-journalism. At that time he purchased the Leo- minster "Enterprise," a weekly paper founded many years previous, but in his taking over the management of the concern and the editing of the sheet, its scope was widely increased and its significance to the public became more definite. It has been said of Mr. Miller's work as a writer:

His writings were such pure English as to attract widespread attention. At one time they were given prominence among the classics at Clark University. When Mr. Miller carcd to be critical his invective was sharp, but he never struck an unfair blow. He fought hard for the right and fought fairly, "with malice toward none and charity for all." His skill in debate was proverbial. Never at loss for words, ready with a pun or apt story in repartee, he was considered a formidable opponent in any sort of a deliberate assembly.

The paper became a daily under his management in the year 1895, and this very naturally brought a great in- crease in subscriptions and a consequent widening of the influence of the paper. The company was incorporated in the year 1898, under the title of the J. D. Miller Company, Mr. Miller continuing throughout his lifetime as president. It was perhaps his significance to the pub- lic as a fearless and conscientious journalist that led to Mr. Miller's candidacy for State Senator. He was elected in the year 1894 and served for three years in the higher body of the State Legislature with distinction and eminent credit, both to himself and to his constitu- ents. In educational affairs in the State Senator Miller was largely influential and was always given a place of leadership. He served on the State Board of Education from 1895 to 1909, and during this period the estab- lishment of the State Normal School in the city of Fitchburg was accomplished largely through his ef- forts. His work in this connection was commemorated by the naming of one of the buildings in his honor, the Miller Dormitory. In local affairs, as well as those of wider import, Senator Miller took an eminently con- structive part, but although he was frequently sought as a candidate for one office or another, he generally declined political honors in the town of his residence. He served for many years, however, as a trustee of the Public Library, and both in this connection and in every advance movement or worthy effort he devoted much of his time to the general progress. He was widely affili- ated fraternally, holding membership in Wilder Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Monoosnock Council, Roy- al Arcanum, and was Past Master of the lodge and a charter member of the council. He was also a member of Tahanto Lodge, Ancient Order of United Workmen.

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HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY

Not only in organized fraternities, but in every human relation Senator Miller's brotherly spirit was a part of his daily life. Toward all who held any claim upon him, whether friend, beneficiary, or employee, he was always a wise counsellor and a steadfast friend. The mourning was deep and universal when he died. The end was not unexpected. Senator Miller fell at his home in Washington Street, July 10, 1919, and sustained a broken hip. At his advanced age this was a very serious matter, and in spite of the best of medical and surgical care he succumbed to the complications which ensued. His death occurred on September 21, 1919, and it evoked countless expressions of the deepest regret and the most lasting affection for this man among men. The gen- eral sentiment was well expressed in an appreciation published in the Leominster "Enterprise":

Those who know and love Mr. Miller best will re- member his strong attachment to life in its fullest sense, his keen appreciation of true mirth and humor, his sincere and deep enjoyment of friendship in all its possible meaning, his joyful spirit that rose superior to all the sorrows and trials of earth and that "shineth ever more and more unto the perfect day." That spirit and that love must transcend the last great change and find an eternal reunion with all he loved below.

Senator Miller married Maria Sanderson, who sur- vived him, and they were the parents of two children: I. Carrie L., who after graduating from the high school assisted her father in that institution, and died in 1887, aged twenty-one years. 2. Florence M., who was grad- uated from Leominster High School, and after attending Radcliffe College for one year became a student in the Fitchburg Normal School, whence she was graduated in 1898. From 1900 to 1919 she was continuously en- gaged as a teacher in the latter institution, with the ex- ception of a two-year leave of absence.

GEORGE R. GODFREY-A life enriched by the fullness of duties performed and work accomplished; by the passing on of that legacy of labor created by his own efforts, George R. Godfrey departed this life hav- ing gone beyond the many milestones of threescore years and ten. His character, by the sheer force of which he built up an industry that lives on as his best monu- ment, was one, too, that made him beloved and honored in the community where he came a young man, penni- less and alone. He reaped riches from his life and labors, and he gave service that will long make his memory one to awaken thoughts and emotions of esteem and honor among the citizens of his adopted city.

George R. Godfrey was born at North Wiltshire, Prince Edward Island, and came to the United States at the age of sixteen years, alone and without friends or influence, to make his own way to success in life. He settled first in Portland, Maine, where he served an apprenticeship to a harness maker, and when he had ac- complished this he worked as a journeyman in Newport, New Hampshire, gaining experience in the trade. He then opened a small shop of his own in Hinsdale, New Hampshire, but in 1869 it was entirely destroyed by fire, and not having had it insured he was left utterly penni- less by this disaster. On March 31, 1869, he came to Gardner, and with nothing now but his knowledge as a master craftsman he opened a business without a dollar, on the smallest scale, presenting himself as a harness

maker, ready to do any kind of work or repairs in the leather line. He was located on Chestnut Street, one of the main thoroughfares, and his industry and zeal, his honesty and integrity, soon gained for him a' repu- tation among the important manufacturing concerns as a young man of fine character, and his good work brought its own reward in a steadily growing business. Not content with a local trade, he branched out, and gradually developed interests that carried his harness and other leather goods to continually increasing points of distance, until finally he had created a trade that covered in area places in all parts of the United States. He continued the operation of his business alone until 1920, when he had it incorporated as the G. R. Godfrey Company. In the meantime, however, about six years earlier, he had taken his son, Henry R. Godfrey, into his employ, and his activities had materially assisted in the growth of the establishment, while his other son, Edgar L. Godfrey, had also been in his employ, and later developed an active interest in its progress. At the time of its incorporation Mr. Godfrey felt that he had reached an age where he wished to give to other and younger hands the main responsibilities of the busi- ness, feeling, too, that he had earned a respite and the privilege of taking a little more leisure for other occu- pations that were of interest to him. His son, Henry R., was therefore made the president of the corporation, and George R. Godfrey kept the responsibilities of the office of treasurer. Mr. Godfrey, besides his interest in his own business, was active in civic matters and prominent in other and various industrial matters. It was through his enthusiastic labors that the Gardner Board of Trade was established, and he became one of its first presidents. He later became also president of the Gardner Business Men's Association, and his progressive spirit was ac- tive in all matters that tended to the growth and de- velopment and betterment of conditions in Gardner. He was a member of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; the Gardner Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; and Improved Order of Red Men. Mr. Godfrey died on January 26, 1923, at the age of seventy-nine years.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III, Part 21

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, editor Publication date: 1924 Publisher: New York, Chicago, Lewis Historical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 566

Author: Crane, Ellery Bicknell, 1836-1925, editor
Publication date: 1924
Publisher: New York, Chicago, Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 566