USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84
Mr. Stone received his preliminary education in the public schools of Clinton, Massachusetts. He was grad- uated from the Clinton High School with the class of 1890, and, after an interim of several years, during which time he acquired a fund of practical experience and a great deal of general knowledge, he proceeded to Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, where, in 1898 he matriculated and was enrolled as a student of the School of Law. Bringing to the study of the law a judicial temperament, a power of forensic phrase, and a broad fundamental knowledge of life and affairs, in addition to a profound respect for the whole body of ethical thought represented by the enunciated doctrine of the law, Mr. Stone greatly distinguished himself as a student, and at the end of his course was graduated as a mem- ber of the class of 1901, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, cum laude.
As previously stated, the business career of Mr. Stone began some years before he became a member of the legal profession. He entered the field of journalism immediately after his graduation from the Clinton High School, joining the staff of the Worcester "Daily Spy" as a reporter in 1890 and continuing in this capacity for three years. His daily assignments covered every field of newspaper reporting and brought him into con- tact with all classes of the community. Of a literary turn of mind, and able even at an early age to express himself in clear, concise, and direct English, Mr. Stone made his mark as a reporter, and his ability was very generally recognized by the veterans of the press who watched his course with sympathetic interest and ap- preciation. In 1893, at the age of twenty years, he be- came local editor of the Clinton "Daily Item," and for the next five years he filled this position in such a manner as to contribute greatly to the power and influ- ence of the paper, following in all respects the best tra- ditions of Massachusetts journalism.
In 1898, well-tempered by wide reading, journalistic training, and practical experience, Mr. Stone embarked upon his legal career. After his graduation from the Boston University School of Law he returned to Clin- ton, and, in September, 1901, was admitted to the Massa- chusetts State bar. He thereupon became a member of the law firm of Buttrick & Stone, and the partnership so established has continued without change ever since. In 1904 Governor Bates appointed Mr. Stone to the office of clerk of the court of the Second District Court of Eastern Worcester, and in 1909 Governor Draper re- appointed him to the same office. Upon first assuming the clerkship of this court, in April, 1904, Mr. Stone was appointed probation officer by the Honorable Justice of the Court, and served in this capacity for nine years. In 1913, having resigned as clerk of the court and as
.
Ora L. Store
I71
BIOGRAPHICAL
probation officer, he became private secretary to the Hon. Calvin D. Paige, member of the United States House of Representatives from the Third Massachusetts Dis- trict. He was associated with Mr. Paige from Novem- ber, 1913, to March, 1917, and his official duties at Wash- ington during the trying years that preceded America's entry into the World War gave him a vivid insight into world politics as well as a first-hand acquaintance with a page of American social and political history in the making. He resigned his Congressional secretaryship in March, 1917, to become membership secretary of the Associated Industries of Massachusetts. In Decem- ber, 1918, he became general manager of this organiza- tion, a position he still occupies.
Upon leaving Washington in 1917 in order to enter the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Mr. Stone enlisted in the Massachusetts State Guard and served with the colors of this military organization during the period 1917-1918. A Republican in politics, and widely known for his unswerving fidelity to Republican candidates and principles, Mr. Stone was continuously occupied with political affairs from 1901 until the end of 1921, attend- ing various political conferences and taking a leading part in discussions affecting the welfare of the Repub- lican party in Massachusetts. In 1912 he served as a member of the Republican State Committee of Massa- chusetts, Second Worcester Senatorial District. In 1913 he became chairman of the Third Massachusetts Con- gressional District Committee, serving in this capacity until 1917. He was also from 1901 to 1912, secretary of the Fourth Massachusetts Congressional District Committee, and rendered valuable assistance to his party in this capac- ity. In 1918 he was elected chairman of the School Com- mittee of Clinton, and held office in this capacity until 1921. In all of these various positions Mr. Stone has rendered distinguished service to his party, his talent for organization nowhere displaying itself to better ad- vantage than in the work of welding diverse political elements within the ranks into a single compact and powerful whole. As time goes on, Mr. Stone may be expected to take a larger share in the political life of the Commonwealth. Few men have politics at their fingers' ends more completely than he, and if the ex- igencies of his business life should prevent him from holding public office to any great extent, his analytic mind, organizing methods, and vigorous pen would still continue to make his influence felt in the political affairs of his State and party.
Mr. Stone is a member of various fraternal and social organizations. He has at various times held the office of commander of the Lieutenant A. L. Fuller Camp, No. 19, of the Sons of Veterans, at Clinton. From 1902 to 1903, inclusive, he served as division commander of the Massachusetts Division of the Sons of Veterans, and during this period the organization made a net increase in its membership of more than 1,200 sons of veterans. A Mason of long standing, Mr. Stone belongs to Trin- ity Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, at Clinton; and to Clinton Royal Arch Chapter. He also holds member- ship in Clinton Lodge, No. 199, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Clinton Lodge, Knights of Pythias;' and Clinton Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. During his college days Mr. Stone was elected
to the Greek letter fraternities, Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Phi Delta Phi. He is an eminent archon of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon, in which he belongs to the Beta Upsilon Chapter. He is at present holding office as treasurer and president of the Lamsdec Club, an office he has held for several years; and also belongs to the Prescott Club of Clinton.
In religious faith Mr. Stone is a member of the First Unitarian Church at Clinton. He takes an active part in the work of this congregation and holds office as clerk of the church corporation, and has been for many years superintendent of the Sunday school. He was presi- dent of the Worcester County Conference of Unitarian Churches during the period 1912-1913. Mr. Stone is unmarried.
GEORGE WILSON OLNEY-A broadly repre- sentative figure in the business life . of Worcester County, Massachusetts, was that of George Wilson Olney, whose life was devoted to the advance of the textile industry, and whose success contributed in no small degree to the prosperity of this section and the welfare of the people. A man of large ability, gifted with the genius for accomplishing deeds of definite sig- nificance, he had no desire to magnify himself in the public eye, and while a man of few words, he was of con- stant activity along lines that meant much to the gen- eral advance. Nearly three decades have gone since his passing, but he is still remembered by the older residents of southern Worcester County as an able executive and a man upon whom the community depended in times of crises or perplexity, a man whose judgment, never pre- maturely formed, counted for progress in any field of endeavor.
The Olney family is one of the very old English lines in Massachusetts, Thomas Olney having come to this State from St. Albans, Hertfordshire, England, in 1635, settling at Salem. He was excommunicated from the Salem church for espousing the cause of Roger Wil- liams, and in June, 1637, old records state that he was with Roger Williams in Providence, Rhode Island. The following year Thomas Olney was one of thirteen cor- porate members of the town, and became one of the founders of the first Baptist church organized on Amer- ican soil. Descendants of Thomas Olney were closely identified with the early progress of the community known as "Providence Plantations," also doing much for the early development of the adjacent section of the Colony of Massachusetts.
(I.) Richard Olney, in direct line from Thomas Olney, the pioneer, was born at Smithfield, Rhode Island, in 1770. When still a young man he became a prosperous merchant with interests centering in Providence. He owned the packet "Huntress," plying between Provi- dence, New York, and Savannah, Georgia, which car- ried both passengers and freight, the latter principally cotton. She was eventually lost at sea. Richard Olney was a pioneer in the manufacture of cotton in this part of the country, and about the year 1810 he had become a noted cotton manufacturer of Providence, still retain- ing his mercantile interests, which included an extensive West Indian trade. Samuel Slater, a contemporaneous cotton manufacturer of Pawtucket. was one of the prin-
172
HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY
cipal rivals of the Olney interests in this field, and both Mr. Olney and Mr. Slater contemplated expansion at the same time. In November, 1811, Mr. Olney purchased from Ezekiel Preston a deed of three-quarters of a tract of land on Mumford River, at East Douglas, Massa- chusetts, for the purpose of erecting a mill plant for spinning, in a locality where weaving could be placed out in the families of the farming people. Included in this deed were rights for mills, machine shops, and kin- dred structures. Mr. Olney had two associates in this enterprise, and it was nearly simultaneous with Mr. Slater's activities along similar lines at Webster, Massa- chusetts. Mr. Olney organized a company, and they went forward successfully under the firm name of Rich- ard Olney & Company. This later became known as the Douglas Cotton Manufacturing Company, and in 1817 Mr. Olney removed to Douglas, extending his op- erations to this community, then in the spring of the following year, opened further interests in Oxford, Massachusetts. All these additional activities were by way of expansion, rather than removal, and the in- terests of the company centered at Douglas until 1822, when Mr. Olney disposed of his share, evidently about two-thirds, selling five thirty-sevenths of the property to one Ziba Angell, and twenty thirty-sevenths to Jon- athan Adams and Adams Foster, prominent men of Providence. The subsequent activities of Richard Olney were principally in connection with the Oxford Woolen Company, although he made some changes of residence, and in 1836 he became the principal owner, continuing thus until his death.
Meanwhile, in April, 1819, Richard Olney purchased the Campbell Tavern at Oxford Centre, where he was innkeeper and "trader" for four years; then, in the spring of 1823, he removed to the house then standing on the present site of the Oxford Episcopal Church. In 1826 he purchased a farm west of the river, now known as the Woodbury place, and there resided until 1833, when he bought a fine estate in the locality known as the Plain. There he resided until he sold that place in 1837, then, for two or three years, resided where now stands the Methodist church, thereafter removing the Burrill- ville, his place of residence at the time of his decease. For several years before his death Mr. Olney was in precarious health, and in the fall of 1841 he went to Saratoga in the hope of gaining strength. Receiving scant benefit from the change, he set out on his return journey, but stopped at Oxford, near Town's Pond, to tarry for a time with an old friend, Alexander C. Thurston, where he failed rapidly, and passed away Oc- tober 22, 1841, at the age of seventy-one years. It was said of Richard Olney by a biographer that he "had native force of character, sagacity, and business ability."
In the public life of his time, and in community, State, and National interests, he bore a noteworthy part. An original proprietor of the Oxford Bank, his name was second on its first board of directors, and he was presi- dent of the institution from 1833 until 1836. In 1820 he served as a member of the Constitutional Conven- tion; then, for five years (1824 and at various times until 1836), was town agent; meanwhile, from 1821 to 1828, inclusive, he was Selectman of the town, and from 1826 until 1829, inclusive, represented his town in the
.
State Legislature. Always interested in religious ad- vance, he was in early life an officer of the Restorationist Church, of which Rev. Seth Chandler was the head, but later affiliated himself with the Methodist society.
Richard Olney married, April 3, 1795, at Cumberland, Rhode Island, Abigail Wilson, who died August 16, 1855, aged seventy-nine years. They were the parents of the following children: I. Lucina, born March 31, 1796, at North Providence, Rhode Island, later the wife of Cromwell Moulton and the mother of nine sons. 2. Cynthia, born April 12, 1797, at North Providence, mar- ried at Douglass, John White, their children being four sons and five daughters. 3. Hannah, born April 27, 1799, at Providence, married, in July, 1819, Simon Wheeler, of Seekonk, and was the mother of six sons and three daughters. 4. Wilson, of further mention. 5. Lucinda, born October 22, 1803, later the wife of Charles J. Stratford. 6. Simon L., born August 3, 1805, who left home as a young man and was never heard from afterward. 7. Amy, born June 29, 1807, at Providence, was the wife of Samuel C. Butler, son of Peter Butler. 8. Elisha, born August 7, 1809, at Providence, died in Iowa, having resided in the West many years, married, and had one daughter. 9. Hannah, who became the wife of Thomas Hardy, their son, Harry, born about 1876. IO. Moses, born in 1814, drowned at Oxford, Massachu- setts, in 1820. II. Abigail, born November 20, 1817, at Douglass, married, December 3, 1836, William Knight, of Leicester, their children being six sons and three daughters. 12. William B., born July 31, 1819, at Ox- ford, married Lavina Morey, resided many years at Burrillville, later at Upton until his death in 1891, his three children, born at Burrillville: William M., Sep- tember 13, 1842; Amy, March 21, 1844; and Oscar, April 13, 1845.
(II.) Wilson Olney, fourth child and eldest son of Richard and Abigail (Wilson) Olney, was born at Prov- idence, Rhode Island, January 10, 1802. Endowed with a brilliant mentality and scholarly tastes, he taught school at the age of seventeen years, and was also active in his father's store from 1819 until 1823, inclusive, in the village of Oxford, Massachusetts. He was later en- gaged in mercantile interests at Providence, Rhode Island, at Hyde Park, New York, and Little Falls, New Jersey, until 1829, when he returned to Oxford. At that time he became identified with the Oxford Woolen Mill Company, as an accountant, which position he filled for about two years. He then established a' mercantile interest on the Plain, which he conducted until 1836, when he removed to Kentucky. There he continued in the same field of activity until 1842, when he re- turned permanently to Worcester County, Massachu- setts. As an executor of his father's estate, he had the management of the Oxford Woolen Company's af- fairs until 1846, after which he became associated with George Hodges in the manufacture of flannel for sev- eral years, then removed to the Plain in 1853. Always commanding the respect and confidence of his associ- ates and the people generally, these latter years of his life were marked with many honors, and in 1855 he was elected cashier of the Oxford Bank. This office he ably filled until advancing years occasioned his retirement, and his death occurred shortly thereafter.
173
BIOGRAPHICAL
Wilson Olney married, March 26, 1832, Eliza L. Butler, daughter of Peter Butler, (See Sigourney-Butler VI), who died February 24, 1874, she surviving him for only a few months, and passing away May 2, 1874. They were the parents of four sons: I. Richard, born Sep- tember 15, 1835, was a graduate of Brown University (1856), and Harvard University School of Law (1859). Practiced law in association with Judge Benjamin F. Thomas, of Boston, he won high rank in his profession, and became a leader in public affairs, serving as Repre- sentative in the State Legislature, also being brought forward as his party's candidate for State Senator. Under President Cleveland he served in the Cabinet as Attorney-General, and later as Secretary of State, and during President Wilson's administration he was offered the post of Ambassador to England. He married, March 6, 1861, Agnes P. Thomas, daughter of Judge Thomas, and their children were: Agnes, born in De- cember, 1861; and Mary T., born in August, 1865. 2. George W., of whom further. 3. Peter B., was born at Oxford, Massachusetts, July 21, 1843. He was a graduate of Harvard University in both the liberal arts and the law courses, the latter in the class of 1866. He also studied law with William M. Evarts, of New York City, where he began practice in 1868. He was a leader in public advance, participating in the overthrow of the "Tweed Ring" in 1871-72; in 1879 was appointed one of three commissioners to compile and thereafter revise State legislation bearing upon local metropolitan mat- ters. In 1883 he was appointed District Attorney for the city and county of New York by Governor Cleveland, serving until his term expired, January 1, 1885. He married, November 12, 1879, Mary Sigourney Butler, daughter of Peter Butler, of Boston, (see Sigourney- Butler VII), and they were the parents of four chil- dren : Peter B., born April 9, 1881; Richard, born Feb- ruary 24, 1883; Wilson, born August 13, 1885; and Sigourney Butler, born February 22, 1888. All except Richard were born in New York City, but he was born at their country home at Cedarhurst, Long Island. 4. Frederick A. was born at Oxford, Massachusetts, Janu- ary II, 1846. He became a leading hardware merchant of Kingston, New York, a man of high character, greatly esteemed in all circles in which he moved. He married, May 21, 1879, Effie L. Chapin, and they were the parents of two children : Ruth L., born in April, 1880, at Wor- cester, Massachusetts; and Persis C., born at Kingston, New York. 5. Gertrude G., born at Oxford, Massachu- setts, in May, 1850. She became the wife, on Septem- ber 6, 1872, of Eben Sutton Stevens, son of Henry H. Stevens, formerly a prominent citizen of Dudley, and grandson of Captain Nathaniel Stevens, of North An- dover. Eben S. Stevens became a successful woolen manufacturer of Quinebaug, Connecticut, proprietor of the mill and estates connected with it, and a broadly influential citizen, and was elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 1891. One daughter was born to these parents, Gertrude O., born November 15, 1873.
(III.) George Wilson Olney, second son of Wilson and Eliza L. (Butler) Olney, was born at Louisville, Kentucky, August 27, 1840, and died at Cherry Valley, Massachusetts, February 28, 1894. As a young lad he attended the public schools of Oxford, Massachusetts,
to which community the family had returned in his childhood. He later entered Nichols Academy, at Dud- ley, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in due course. Interested in the industrial activities of this section, and professional life holding no appeal for him, he definitely chose the career of the manufacturer. He learned the manufacture of flannel with George Hodges, then agent at the Milton Mills of New Hampshire, where he was active from April, 1868, until the year 1874. Possessing ample means to finance his own ven- tures in the realm of his choice, he bought the mills at Cherry Valley, in the town of Leicester, Massachusetts, August 1, 1874. This plant contained seven sets, and under his judicious management the business steadily throve and grew. He also acquired a controlling interest in a mill of eight sets at Lisbon, Maine, and kept the general oversight of that plant, although he resided in Worcester County, Massachusetts. Mr. Olney was a man of large ability, a far-sighted business man, fear- less in advance, yet cautious, well considering every move. He was eminently fair in his dealings with all, associate, customer, employee, and was a genial, whole- hearted friend, a loyal and progressive citizen. In the public life of the community he accepted responsibility only as it was urged upon him as a duty. A Democrat by political affiliation, he was elected Selectman of the town of Leicester, serving for several years, and was also for some time a member of the School Committee. In every phase of community advance he bore a con- structive part, and was a member of the Episcopal church, which he served as senior warden.
George Wilson Olney married, at Oxford, Massachu- setts, November 18, 1862, Waity Maria Harwood, daugh- ter of Elihu and Hannah (Beals) Harwood. They were the parents of five children: Thomas W., born June 9, 1864, died October 19, 1904; Robert S., born August 26, 1868, died May 1, 1900; Richard, born January 5, 1871 ; George H., born August 8, 1872; and Catharine, born December 16, 1881.
In such a life as that of George Wilson Olney, the world of to-day may well find a fruitful subject for re- flection, and an example worthy of emulation. Modest and unassuming, giving to life the high efforts of a man among men, when with his means he might have spent his days in a round of pleasures. Mr. Olney was such a man as the world needs. Nearly thirty years have passed since he was called on to a higher life, yet the work he did and the forces he set in motion have lived through these years in beneficent activity, carried for- ward by those who have felt the inspiration of his mem- ory and who delight to do him honor. His was a useful life, not merely for the hour-the day-the time in which he lived, but for the industrial and civic progress of to- day, and in good measure useful to all who shall come after.
(The Sigourney-Butler Line).
(I.) Andrew Sigourney fled from France after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, and was a leader in the settlement of Oxford, Massachusetts, in 1687. He died in Boston, April 16, 1727. He married Charlotte Pairan, and they were the parents of five children, three of whom were: Andrew, of further mention; Susan, Barthelmy.
174
HISTORY OF WORCESTER COUNTY
(II.) Andrew Sigourney, son of Andrew and Char- lotte (Pairan) Sigourney, was born in France in 1673, and died in 1748. He resided in Boston, where he was engaged in business as a distiller. He married Mary Germaine, who was born in France in 1680, and they were the parents of children, among whom was Anthony, of further mention.
(III.) Anthony Sigourney, son of Andrew and Mary (Germaine) Sigourney, was born August 17, 1713. He married (first), April 10, 1740, Mary Watus, of Salem ; (second) Elizabeth Breed. To the first marriage was born Mary, of further mention. Children of the second marriage were: Anthony, born in 1751; and Andrew, born in 1752. These three children of Anthony Sigour- ney, of Boston, were the first of the Sigourney family to return to Oxford, Massachusetts, Anthony, Jr., buy- ing property there in 1774, and Mr. Butler and his wife, and Andrew coming toward the close of the Revolu- tionary War.
(IV.) Mary Sigourney, daughter of Anthony and Mary (Watus) Sigourney, was born March 23, 1742. She married James Butler, (son of James, (5), James (4), James (3), James (2), Stephen (I), who came from England about 1640). Their children were: Mary B., James D., Anthony, Elizabeth, Hannah, John, Peter, of further mention; Sarah, and Celia.
(V.) Peter Butler, son of James and Mary (Sigour- ney) Butler, was born in 1774. He married (first) Me- hitable Corbin, daughter of Samuel and Lucy (Larned) Corbin, of Dudley, Massachusetts; (second), in 1841, Widow Abigail Davis. His children were: James, Sam- uel C., Lucy, Mary S., Eliza L., of further mention ; Sarah M., Hannah H., Peter, of further mention; and Charlotte.
(VI.) Eliza L. Butler, daughter of Peter and Me- hitable (Corbin) Butler, was born August 28, 1810. She married Wilson Olney. (See Olney II).
(VI.) Peter Butler, son of Peter and Mehitable (Cor- bin) Butler, was born in 1820, and became a partner in the hardware business of his father-in-law, in Boston, later he was head of the firm of Butler Keith & Company. He was very prominent in Boston, helped to supplant English goods with American products, and aided in building up Boston's foreign and domestic trade. He lived for thirty years in the Quincy Mansion, at Quincy, Massachusetts. After losing heavily in the great fire he retired from business. He had a choice library and a' rare collection of curios. He married, September, 1843, Lucia Proctor, daughter of Deacon John C. Proctor, and settled in Boston, but later re- moved to Quincy. His children were: Lucia C., Mary Sigourney, of further mention; Isabel, and Sigourney, who graduated from Harvard Law School in 1879, and was the second Comptroller of the Treasury under President Cleveland.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.