USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 3
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Mr. Earl's experience in politics taught him it was the part of wisdom for a business man to avoid its entice- ments until settled and in circumstances to take the time from his business that a public position demands, consequently, for the balance of his life he gave him- self to the interests of William D. Earl & Company, and persistently refused all further political honors. He was a Free Soil Whig until the forming of the Repub- lican party, afterward usually supporting the candidates of that party, but he was not partisan, and never bound himself to any party so closely that it deprived him of the privilege of independent thought and action. In religious faith he was a Universalist and always most tender hearted and charitable in his judgments of his fellow-men.
William Daggett Earl married, June 23, 1857, Helen B. Corliss, daughter of John L. and Lydia (Woodbury) Corliss, of Lowell, Massachusetts. To Mr. and Mrs Earl four children were born: Florence, died in infancy ; Josephine, lives in Lowell, Massachusetts ; Mary (Earl) Woods, lives in Lowell; and William Bruce, whose sketch follows. Mrs. Helen B. (Corliss) Earl died in June, 1869, at Lowell, Massachusetts.
WILLIAM BRUCE EARL-In the year 1895 Wil- liam Bruce Earl came to Leominster, Massachusetts, a young man of twenty-six years, and there became asso- ciated with his father in the firm of William D. Earl & Company, manufacturers of horn combs, ivory buttons, and similar products. The years, twenty-eight, which have since intervened, have brought high business rep- utation, and when the founder retired from the manage- ment in 1911, at the age of eighty-one, the son assumed
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the responsibility, and the firm, now. the corporation, has steadily pursued a successful course through the ofttimes troubled business seas. He is the only son of William Daggett and Helen B. (Corliss) Earl, who, at the time of the birth of their son, were living in Low- ell, Massachusetts.
William Bruce Earl was born in Lowell, Massachu- setts, April 25, 1869, and there began his education in the public schools. After finishing preparatory school work he entered Dartmouth College, whence he was graduated Bachelor of Science, class of 1892. After graduation he spent three years in New York City with the jewelry house of Aiken, Lambert & Company, of Maiden Lane, then, in 1895, joined his father and uncle in the firm of William D. Earl & Company, organized in 1869. Four years later the uncle, Thomas A. Earl, retired, father and son continuing in close business as- sociation until 1911, when the father retired, leaving the son in control. In January, 1912, the business was in- corporated as W. D. Earl & Company, Incorporated, William B. Earl, treasurer, an office he yet ably fills. The company manufactures a line of horn and ivory goods in large quantities, leading all other Leominster manufacturers of that class of goods. The company has now been in business as firm and corporation under the same name for fifty-four years, 1869-1923, and is still owned in the Earl name, as it has been from the be- ginning.
Mr. Earl is a member of the Unitarian church, serv- ing on the official board and as chairman of the parish committee. In political faith he is a Republican, and in civic progress a member of the Chamber of Commerce and ex-president. He is also a member of Leominster Red Cross, of which he is past president; member of Wachusetts Camp, Boy Scouts of America, and (1923) vice-president and counsel. His clubs are the Leomin- ster and the Monoosnock Country. His favorite rec- reations are traveling and golf.
On October 12, 1904, William B. Earl married Joanna Thayer, of Milford, Massachusetts, daughter of George and Agnes (Cook) Thayer. They are the parents of two children: Agnes Helen, born January 30, 1909; and William Bruce (2), born April II, 19II.
GEORGE FREDERICK CURLEY, M. D., a rep- resentative physician of Milford, Worcester County, Massachusetts, has for twenty-five years practiced in this community and has won a very high place in the confidence and regard of the people. Dr. Curley is a native of the State of Massachusetts, where his family has lived for many years, and he is a son of Walter and Mary (Sullivan) Curry.
George Frederick Curley was born at Upton, Massa- chusetts, June 1, 1872. His early education was acquired in the local public schools and the high school, and he was graduated from the Massachusetts College of Agri- culture, at Amherst, in the class of 1893. Then choosing the medical profession for the field of his life work, he entered Jefferson Medical College, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1896, with the degree of Doctor of Med- icine. During the year following his graduation, Dr. Curley acted as interne at the General Hospital of Elizabeth, New Jersey, then in 1897 returned to his
native State to practice, settling at Milford. He early gained the good will of the people and his success was assured from the first. He has now for many years held a leading position in the profession in this part of the county of Worcester, and is a member of the Amer- ican Medical Association, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the Worcester County Medical Society. He serves on the surgical staff of the Milford Hospital, and for a number of years has acted as assistant medical examiner of Worcester County. A Democrat by polit- ical affiliation, Dr. Curley lends his support to all branches of public advance, but has never accepted official re- sponsibilities, except along the lines of his professional work. He was active in many branches of home en- deavor during the World War, also served as chair- man of the medical advisory board. He is a member of the local lodge of the Knights of Columbus, and of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church.
Dr. Curley married, in Milford, Massachusetts, on June 20, 1900, Cecelia McGann, daughter of John and Mary McGann, and they are the parents of one daugh- ter, Regina.
THE HON. GEORGE J. BRUNELL, one of the most prominent figures in Webster, Massachusetts, in manufacturing circles, in civic affairs, in fraternal mat- ters, and in all social and benevolent advance, has for many years been identified with the progress of the community, and is now enjoying more than local prom- inence as a manufacturer of confectionery. Mr. Brunell is a son of Ambroise and Celina (Huot) Brunell. His father was a painter and interior decorator and for many years was employed in the car shops of Springfield, Massachusetts, in this capacity.
George J. Brunell was born at St. Cesaire, Province of Quebec, Canada, November 1, 1866. The family re- moving to Springfield, Massachusetts, in his childhood, and he was educated in the public schools of that city, covering both grammar and high school courses. While still at school and for a time thereafter he was em- ployed at various clerical positions, such as a youth with only slight experience can handle, then he went to Wor- cester, Massachusetts, to become associated with his brother, A. H. Brunell. This brother was engaged in the manufacture of confectionery, and there Mr. Brunell thoroughly familiarized himself with the trade in all its branches, eventually having charge of the factory and becoming a partner. Coming to Webster in the year 1899, Mr. Brunell started for himself in a small way, jobbing confectionery and during the early years of this experience was more or less on the road as a salesman. In time he enlarged his business materially and added a manufacturing branch and his success has enabled him to expand the interest very largely. He now has a thoroughly up-to-date factory, well built and spacious, fitted up with all the improved machinery and equip- ment for the manufacture of a strictly high class prod- uct. His product is marketed through jobbers and to the retail trade, and he employs twenty-five to thirty people. Mr. Brunell is a man of genial spirit, and from the Webster school boy who calls at the store with his penny to the biggest order from Southern Texas or Western Oklahoma, every customer feels the cordiality with which he meets the trade. His success has been
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well earned, and to all who know him he is the type which represents the best American citizenship. Mr. Brunell has for many years been active in any progres- sive effort or movement which promised to be of benefit to the community of Webster. Politically he supports the Republican party, and for fourteen years he has served as a member of the Board of Selectmen, now acting as chairman of the board. For five years he represented this district in the Massachusetts State Legislature, his work as a legislator reflected credit not only on himself but on his constituents. During the World War Mr. Brunell was very active as chairman of the Advisory Board and Public Safety Committee, also chairman of "four-minute" men. He is a forceful and persuasive public speaker and devoted much of his time to addressing gatherings, both impromptu and on pro- grammes prearranged, in the interest of recruiting and also for the many drives of the time. Mr. Brunell was a foremost worker for the honor roll tablet, which now is the pride of Webster, raising a larger portion of the money required. Fraternally he is identified with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Knights of Columbus, the Improved Order of Red Men, and as- sociate member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member of Club Gagnon, and is a charter member and one of the founders of the Worcester Commercial Travelers' Club. His religious affiliation is with the Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. Brunell married, at Webster, Rose A. Authier, daughter of Hubert and Laura (Benoit) Authier. Mr. Authier was a veteran of the Civil War, and for many years a member of the Grand Army of the Republic; also prominent in town affairs, serving as a member of the Board of Selectmen, being Mr. Brunell's predeces- sor on the board. He was a grocer by occupation.
EDWIN F. BRAINARD-A prominent executive of the world-famous chair industry of Gardner, Massachu- setts, is Edwin F. Brainard, who for upwards of twenty-nine years, has been identified with the firm of S. K. Pierce & Son Company a leading concern in this field in the Chair City. Mr. Brainard is preeminently a man of business, and his interests are broad in their scope.
The Brainard family is one of the very old families of New York City, and there James F. Brainard Mr. Brainard's father, was born. Reared and educated in the metropolis, James F. Brainard was a youth of eigh- teen years when the war broke out between the North and the South, and fresh from school he enlisted in defence of the Union. One of the very first volun- teers of that stirring time, he joined the Hawkins' Zouaves, and served with that body until the battle of Antietam, in which he was wounded. Following his discharge from the hospital, he was assigned to detached duty, and sent to New York City, where he served until the close of the war. Upon his return to the ac- tivities of civilian life James F. Brainard associated himself with the internationally known firm of Belding Brothers, silk manufacturers, securing a position in their New York office. There he displayed a marked genius for the matching of colors, a talent particularly valu- able to the concern in their line of industrial endeavor. He was sent to the Northampton (Massachusetts) fac-
tories of the company, where, until the close of his active career he held the position of color expert. He died in the year 1904, at the age of sixty-three years, a man of high character and signal usefulness, honored by his associates and esteemed by all who knew him. James F. Brainard married, in New York City, Mary H. Andruss, also a member of one of the early families of New York City, and she is now deceased.
Edwin F. Brainard, son of these parents, was born in New York City, June 8, 1868. His education was begun in the public schools of his native city, and he was graduated from the New York City Normal School in the class of 1883. Caring little, however, for a career in the professions, he interested himself in industrial advance immediately following the completion of his education. His first position was in the engineering and drafting department of the Thomas A. Edison Company in their New York office. But when the family removed to Northampton, Massachusetts, not wishing to leave home, he accompanied them to that city. There he secured a position in the employ of the Florence Machine Company, a pioneer concern in the manufacture of sew- ing machines and oil stoves. Beginning with this com- pany as cost clerk, he remaining with them in the same capacity until the time when practically all the manufac- turers of oil stoves consolidated, then went with the new concern to Boston, where he was placed in charge of the interests of the company at that point, as man- ager of their Boston office. Active thus until he fall of 1893, Mr. Brainard was stricken with typhoid fever, and was compelled to resign his position, as the con- valescent stage lingered for more than a year. In the spring of 1894 he came to Gardner and became associ- ated with S. K. Pierce & Son Company in the capac- ity of traveling salesman, and represented the concern on the road for about two years. His executive ability and thorough familiarity with business conditions were appreciated by the concern, and he was called into the office and made general manager of the business. This position he filled with definite and increasingly success- ful results, until the incorporation of the concern, which occurred on January 1, 1920, when he was elected vice- president. This office he has held since, and also still fills the responsible position of general manager. This interest, which was founded by Sylvester K. Pierce in the year 1830, is one of the important industries of Gardner. Besides the factory in this city they have two commodious warehouses, one in Boston, Massachu- setts, and one in Brooklyn, New York. They ship their product to all parts of the world, and hold a very high position in the trade. During the period of nearly three decades in which Mr. Brainard has been identified with this concern his work has contributed largely to their present eminence and their great success. Mr. Brainard's further business affiliations include the presidency of the Metropolitan Chair Company, of New Haven and Hartford, Connecticut, and directorships in the Gardner Trust Company and the Chair Town Cooperative Bank, of Gardner. His success is his own achievement. In fraternal circles he is prominent, being a member of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; Massachusetts Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; also Aleppo Temple, Ancient
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Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. He further holds membership in Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. Hs is a member of the Gardner Boat Club, which he served as president in 1919-21; the Oak Hill Country Club, of Fitchburg; the Worcester Country Club; the Ridgely Country Club, of Gardner; and is also a member of the Monadnock Sporting Club of Monadnock, New Hamp- shire. His religious affiliation is with St. Paul's Epis- copal Church of Gardner, with which his family are also connected.
Edwin F. Brainard married, in 1890, Abbie Kirtland Brown, of Northampton, Massachusetts, daughter of Dr. Rufus D. and Catherine Sherwood (Cone) Brown, her father a well-known dental surgeon of that com- munity. They are the parents of four children : Mabel K., who died at the age of fourteen years; E. Warren, who is employed as shipping clerk with S. K. Pierce & Son Company ; Francis N., who has completed his junior year at Boston University; and Richard B., now a junior at Gardner High School.
JOSEPH E. CASEY-Professional circles in Clin- ton, Massachusetts, number among their most progres- sive and promising young members Joseph E. Casey, who has for the past three years been engaged in the practice of law in this community. Mr. Casey is a member of a family who are old residents of Clinton, and was himself born there, December 27, 1898, his par- ents being John E. Casey, a native of Clinton, who was in the machinery business here until his retirement, and Winifred F. Casey, who was born at Heckla, New York.
After completing his studies in the Clinton High School, Joseph E. Casey entered Boston College, and then took a course at Boston University, graduating from that institution of learning with the class of 1920, and receiving with his diploma the degree of Bachelor of Laws. The same year he began the practice of his profession in Clinton, having formed the firm of Casey & Scanlon, with offices at No. 136 High Street. Mr. Scanlon later located at Boston, and Mr. Casey is, ac- cordingly, conducting the legal practice of the firm unassisted. He has been very successful in his en- deavors, and is serving a constantly growing clientele in Clinton and the surrounding section.
Outside of his profession Mr. Casey is interested in social and civic affairs, and was town moderator for one year, while he also served for a similar period as town solicitor. He is active in the work of the Knights of Columbus, and is a communicant of St. John's Roman Catholic Church. He is well known as a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and be- longs to the American Legion. During the World War Mr. Casey served with the 8th Brigade at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, in the United States Army, later being sent to the Officers' Training Camp at Camp Lee, Virginia, where he remained until the armistice was signed, when he was discharged with the rank of private.
MARCUS NEWELL WRIGHT-Among the young men of Gardner, Massachusetts, who are holding posi- tions of large responsibility Mr. Wright is a' leading figure, as cashier of the First National Bank. A native of Gardner and reared in this community, he faithfully
discharged his duty to the nation during the recent World War, and has since served in his present capacity, enjoying the confidence and esteem of all who know him.
The Wright family is a very ancient one in England, and for many generations has been established in the United States, Nathaniel Wright, Mr. Wright's great- grandfather, was a resident of Gardner, Massachusetts, and his son, Marcus Wright, owned a saw mill here, conducting a very extensive business for his time. He was succeeded by his son, Lewis A. Wright, who inher- ited his property. Lewis A. Wright conducted the saw mill for several years, then became lumber buyer for the great concern which holds so important a position in the industrial affairs of Gardner, the Heywood Brothers & Wakefield Company, one of the largest manufacturers of chairs in the world. Lewis A. Wright married Edith G. Newell, who is also still living.
Marcus Newell Wright was born at Gardner, Massa- chusetts, June 26, 1889. His education comprised the usual course of the elementary, grammar, and high schools af Gardner, his graduation from high school having been with the class of 1907, and having been followed by a special business course. For one year following the completion of his studies he was employed in the city of Worcester, then in 1909 he returned to Gardner to accept a' position as bookkeeper at the First National Bank. By assiduous application to his work, Mr. Wright familiarized himself with the principles of banking and made himself necessary to the institution. He was appointed assistant cashier in the year 1913, at the age of twenty-four years. About four years later, on September 21, 1917, he laid down the interests of peace to take up the activities of war, and while he was in the service he was elected cashier of the First Na- tional Bank of Gardner, the duties of which office he assumed upon his return to civilian life. He commands the respect and confidence of his associates and business contemporaries as well as the general public, and is counted among the leading young men of the city.
The military record of Marcus N. Wright began with his enlistment in the United States Army on September 21, 1917. He was assigned to the Depot Brigade, then was transferred to the finance division of the surgeon- general's office at Washington, District of Columbia, with which he was connected for five months, during which period he was made sergeant of the Medical Corps. Later appointed chief clerk of the Medical Supply Depot at Camp Devens, at Ayer, Massachusetts, he was made sergeant of the first class while at that point, then was made hospital sergeant. On September 5, 1917, he was commissioned second lieutenant and as- signed to duty at the recruiting camp at Syracuse, New York, where he remained until November 20, 1918, when he was transferred to the Medical Supply Depot at New York City, serving there until his discharge, on December 24, 1918, with the rank of second lieutenant. Mr. Wright is now a member of Gardner Post, No. 129, American Legion, of which he was the first treasurer, serving for four years. He is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, which he serves on the board of directors, and politically holds independent convictions.
Fraternally Mr. Wright is affiliated with Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of which he is Scribe; Ivanhoe Com-
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mandery, Knights Templar, of which he is treasurer ; and Gardner Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is also treasurer. He takes a deep interest in all that contributes to the welfare of the people, and is treasurer of the Levi Heywood Memorial Library of Gardner. His clubs are: The Oak Hill Country, the Gardner Boat, the Chair City.
Mr. Wright married, on October 4, 1913, Mary L. Harriman, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, and they re- side in Gardner, attending the First Unitarian Church of this city.
JAMES COTTON-A name which has meant much to Athol, Massachusetts, is that of James Cotton, who was active in the lumber business until his retirement, and was an able and broadly noteworthy executive. But the history of Mr. Cotton's life is by no means bounded by the scope of his business interests. His usefulness to the community was a constant influence in the right direction and from boyhood until his death he gave of his best to all forward endeavors. He participated in the closing year of the Civil War, although he was still under sixteen years of age upon his enlistment, and this eagerness to champion any good cause was an exponent of his lifelong character. Mr. Cotton was a son of Michael and Katherine (McCarthy) Cotton, of Prince- ton, Massachusetts, progressive people of an early day. The father owned a large farm in Princeton and was a farmer.
James Cotton was born at Princeton Massachusetts, November 1, 1848. His education was begun in the local public schools and following his graduation from grammar school he came to Athol when only fifteen years of age and secured employment in the plant of the Miller's River Manufacturing Company. The Civil War was at that time raging and was the topic of daily conversation in every group throughout the country. In August, 1864, some three months prior to his sixteenth birthday, Mr. Cotton enlisted in Company H, 4th Regi- ment, Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, and served until the close of the war. Upon his return to civilian life he entered the match business in partnership with J. M. Cheney, of Athol, in which connection he was active until the year 1878. Mr. Cotton then struck out indepen- dently in the lumber business and early developing a substantial interest, he carried it forward to steadily increasing importance and was at the head of the enter- prise until his retirement from active life, which took place in the year 1912. For several years thereafter he continued his activities for community advance, but ill health at last compelled him to give up all interests, and he died of diabetes, at his home on School Street, in Athol, at 8 o'clock on the morning of August 1, 1916.
For many years Mr. Cotton held a leading place in the civic and welfare advance of Athol. For twenty years he served as constable of the town, and for eight years as Selectman. Fraternally he was very promi- nent, holding membership in Star Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons; Union Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Athol Commandery, Knights Templar; and also was a member of the Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was for many years a leading member of Parker Post, Grand Army of the Republic ; and his benevolences among the comrades of his early
war experiences were many, although known only to the beneficiaries. He was long a member of the Poquaig Club, of Athol, and in many social circles was welcomed for his genial spirit, as well as for his high standing in the community. It was through his generosity that the bell was hung in the Our Lady Immaculate Church, his donation being in memory of his daughter. It was pur- chased in the year 1910, and its mellow tone is the pride of the parish. Mr. Cotton's chief leisure interest was horses, and especially during his latter years he took great delight in the races. He knew and loved horses and did much for the encouragement of humane treat- ment of these servants of men.
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