USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 30
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Chester B Kendall
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peddled ice three days in the week, handling some three hundred tons during the frst summer. This in comparison with his present business gives a clear idea of its growth, as in the year just passed he sold at retail some 5,000 tons and wholesaled fully 15,000 tons of ice. Mr. Kendall recently bought out the coal concern long known under the firm name of the Osgood & Son Coal Company. He had for some years handled from 10,000 to 15,000 tons of coal annually, but now his output is greatly increased. The Osgood interests comprise one of the oldest coal concerns in Worcester County, and the merger has placed under Mr. Kendall's immedi- ate direction a very extensive business. Mr. Kendall is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, and in all civic affairs lends his influence to the promotion of the public good. He served for seven years as a member of the Board of Selectmen of Gardner, his period of activity in this connection extending from the year 1884 to 1891. Fraternally he is identified with William Ellison Lodge, No. 185, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is Past Noble Grand; and is also a member of the Rebekahs.
Mr. Kendall married, on December 28, 1869, Josephine Morse, of Hubbardston, and they have three children: I. Florence E., at home. 2. Harry S., who married Marion Mason, of Baldwinsville, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of two children: Chester M. and Donald W. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons of Gardner; the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks of Gardner; the Gardner Boat Club, Gardner Chamber of Commerce, Oak Hill Country Club, and the Ridgley Club. 3. Ernest L., who married Linnie Searls, of Templeton, Massachusetts, and they have a son, Richard Searls. He is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Gardner Boat Club, and the Gardner Chamber of Commerce. Both sons, Harry S. and Ernest L., are managing the business under the firm name of C. B. Kendall Com- pany. The family attends the Unitarian church, of which Mrs. Kendall is a member.
JOHN WHEELDON, general manager of the Wickwire Spencer Steel Corporation of Worcester, Massachusetts, was born in Manchester, England, Sep- tember 16, 1875, son of Edward and Martha (Cart- wright) Wheeldon, the former of whom was a native of Buxton, Derbyshire, and the latter of whom was born in Manchester, England. The father became a skilled steel roller, and was one of the three men sent to America by Bedson, the machinery manufacturer of Manchester, to install the first continuous rod mill in America for the Washburn-Moen Company of Worces- ter, Massachusetts. That was in 1876. Mr. Wheeldon came under a two-year contract to install and start the operation of the plant, and when the term of his con- tract had expired he was prevailed upon to continue with the firm, and accordingly he sent for his wife and family to join him. He continued with the Washburn- Moen Company and their successor, the American Steel and Wire Company, until his death, in 1904. He was a member of the Sons of Saint George of Worces- ter, the Knights of Pythias, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Manchester.
John Wheeldon was educated in the grammar and
high schools of Worcester, and at the age of fourteen years went to work in the rolling mill of the Washburn- Moen Company, but though his school training ended at that time, his education has been continued through- out his career. Mr. Wheeldon very modestly disclaims possession of more than a common school education, but one who has followed his career closely for years is authority for the statement that he was born a student, and that since leaving school down to and in- cluding the present time there never has been an extended period when he was not devoting a share of his spare time to serious study. And this must be true, for he could not, without a well-trained mind and a store of knowledge outside the practical and technical details of his business, meet all the varied requirements of an executive position of such importance as the one which he ably fills. Mr. Wheeldon's career offers inspi- ration to any aspiring lad, for he has won his way to the top by his own unaided efforts, and in doing so has had to overcome disadvantages and obstacles such as few of the youth of the present day are called upon to face. For instance, when he went to work in the mill his working day was twelve hours and his compensation five cents an hour. Later, we find him in the roll shop, turning rolls and working his way up until he became roll designer at the South Works of the American Steel and Wire Company. He was made boss roll turner in 1897, and after he had been in that position about a year he was put in charge of the 34-inch blooming mill as foreman. This was practically a new mill and he started it in operation. After about two years he was made night superintendent and continued in that posi- tion for some five years. He was then (1907) sent to New Haven, Connecticut, to establish the company's plant there. A year later he was brought back to Worcester and made superintendent of the North Works of the company. After two years he was sent to Cleve- land to build up the company's Cuyahoga plant there, and continued in charge for five and a half years. He was then recalled to Worcester and made superintendent of the company's South Works plant-the very mill in which, as a boy, he had begun his career, sweeping floors and carrying water. After a year in that position he resigned to accept the general managership of the Elyria Iron and Steel Company of Cleveland, Ohio. He was in that position when the United States entered the World War, and after having spent about one and a half years at Cleveland, he resigned to take charge of the transportation of freight for the United States Gov- ernment at Yorktown, Virginia. In 1919 he entered the employ of the Spencer Wire Company on special work, and on March I of that year was appointed gen- eral superintendent of the Spencer Wire Company, in charge of the Webster Street works and of the Wire Village plant at Spencer. In November, 1919, Mr. Wheeldon was made superintendent of the Clinton Wright Company, which was formed by merging the Spencer Wire Company's properties, the American Spring Company's properties, the National Wire Com- pany, the Wright Wire Company, and the Clinton Wire Cloth Company of Clinton, and he served in that official capacity until August, 1922, when he was made general manager of the Wickwire Spencer Steel Corporation, the Wickwire interests having come into the combination
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about 1920. Wr. Wheeldon has about forty-five hun- dred men under his supervision, and he holds their confidence and their loyalty in a high degree.
The following estimate of Mr. Wheeldon's personality, character, and work, made by one who is intimately ac- quainted with his career, is enlightening :
.
"He has a seemingly inexhaustible store of energy," says this impartial observer, "a nervous temperament, is quick in action, both mental and physical,-and knows human nature. He is a born diplomat, but knows how and when to be firm and unyielding. Hav- ing traveled all the way from floor sweeper to general manager, he knows by practical experience the view- point and the psychology of the men in his employ. Moreover, they know that he has come from the ranks, and this fact, together with absolute fairness in his dealings, holds the respect, confidence, and loyalty of his men. They do not stand in awe of him. He has won his way by indefatigable industry, by the natural endowment of a fine intelligence, and by a fine sense of honor and loyalty to those whose interests he serves."
In addition to his responsibilities in connection with the Wickwire Spencer Steel Company, Mr. Wheeldon is also a member of the board of directors and vice- president of the American Wire Fabrics Corporation. Fraternally he is affiliated with Montacute Lodge, Free and Accepted masons, of Worcester, in which order he has taken all the York and Scottish Rite degrees, and is a member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston; and of Aletheia Grotto of Worcester. He is also a member of Ridgley Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Knights of Pythias; and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is well known in club circles, being a mem- ber of the Commonwealth Club, Rotary Club, Temple Club, Worcester Country Club, of Blue Grass Country Club of Cave City, Kentucky; and of Tatassit Canoe Club, of Unity Club, and of Claiborne Yacht Club of Cleveland, Ohio.
Mr. Wheeldon married Anna Frederickton, who was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, daughter of Gustav Frederickton. Mrs. Wheeldon is very active in the work of Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. and Mrs. Wheeldon are the parents of two children: Ed- ward Stanley, who was born in 1903, and is a student at Huntington Preparatory School, in Boston; and Marion Alberta, who was born in 1907.
ALVAH CROCKER-The name of Crocker has become a prominent one in Worcester County, Massachu- setts, especially in the town of Fitchburg, where for half a century Alvah Crocker was identified with all the important interests of the community, chief among them being the building of the railroad that connected Fitch- burg with Boston, and at the same time successfully carried on the business of paper manufacturing, besides serving in the State Legislature and later in Congress. Put to work in a paper factory when but eight years old, with scant opportunity for education, there was ap- parently little in his early environment to prepare him for a' successful career, either in business or in service to his fellow men. During his entire boyhood and youth the monotony of twelve hours a day of hard manual labor, at a daily compensation of twenty-five cents, was varied only by six weeks each year when he was permitted to attend school. Truly this would to-day be considered a poor preparation for a successful life,
and the fact that Alvah Crocker did succeed in spite of his limitations argues for other influences than environ- ment, and these may possibly be found in his environ- ment.
(I.) The Crocker family was of great distinctive antiquity in the annals of Old England. Captain John Crocker, the great-grandfather of Alvah Crocker, was born in England in 1692, and upon coming to New Eng- land, settled in Newburyport, Massachusetts, where he was both a skipper and a ship owner. At that time the town was famous for its shipbuilding, and was one of the most active ports in the colonies. In 1748 Captain Crocker obtained permission from the town to erect a rope walk, the first to be built there. He married, in 1727, Mary Savage, daughter of Thomas Savage, and had four sons and four daughters. He died in 1763.
(II.) Benjamin Crocker, the third child of Captain John and Mary (Savage) Crocker, was born in Boston in 1732, and was reared and lived in Newburyport. He was also interested in shipping and was a part owner with his father of the brig "Ranger" in 1758. He mar- ried, September 9, 1761, Sarah Somerby, daughter of Samuel Somerby, of Hampton, New Hampshire, and had nine children, the eighth child being Deacon Samuel, the father of Alvah.
(III.) Deacon Samuel Crocker was born in New- buryport March 22, 1774, two years before his father's death. He was brought up in Newburyport, attending school there and afterwards learning the paper-making trade. In 1796 he moved to Leominster, Massachusetts, and entered the employment of Nichols & Kendall, who had just started the first paper mill there. This partner- ship was dissolved in 1804, but Samuel Crocker con- tinued in the employ of Jonas Kendall, who acquired the business. The house in which he lived and raised his family still stands. Religious zeal was Deacon Crocker's outstanding characteristic, and he and his wife were active and influential members of the Baptist church. It is said that he rarely conversed without introducing the subject of religion, and that the only books in his home besides the Bible were "Edwards on Religious Affection," "Lives of Watts and Doddridge," "King Philip's Indian Wars," and "The Westminster Assem- blies Lesser Catechism." He married, in 1798, Com- fort Jones, daughter of Samuel and Hannah (Adams) Jones, of Medway, Massachusetts. She was born Au- gust 23, 1777, and was a descendant of the Adams family of Massachusetts, whose reliance and indepen- dence of character she inherited. She made a noble struggle against adverse circumstances and reared her large family in habits of honest industry, teaching the children to exert themselves from choice as well as from necessity. In the summer months, during their child- hood, the boys were sent out to work for farmers, and with this help the insufficient income of the father cov- ered their necessities, while early habits of industry and thrift were inculcated.
(IV.) The Hon Alvah Crocker, their eldest child, was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, October 14, 1801. From his mother he inherited his most promi- nent characteristics. Beginning work when he was but eight years old, in the mill where his father was em- ployed, with but little time allowed for schooling, he was fortunate in having placed at his disposal the library
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of his employer, Israel Nichols, which was a good one for those times, and, browsing among the books, he ac- quired a broad and general store of knowledge, greater, perhaps, than that attained by most boys by attending school at his age. In this environment, and spurred by his mother's early teachings of industry and application, he conceived a desire and an ambition to have a college education, and this desire growing by what it fed upon, he taxed all his strength and energies to earn enough money to save the necessary funds. By the time he was sixteen years old he had saved fifty dollars, and entered Groton Academy, where he pursued his studies until his funds were gone. He then went to work again, but so steadily did he devote his evenings to study that he was enabled to keep pace with his class in the academy. In 1820 he was employed in a paper mill in Franklin, New Hampshire, and three years later he entered the employ of General Leonard Burbank, the pioneer paper manufacturer of Fitchburg. In 1826 Mr. Crocker borrowed capital and erected a mill in a birch swamp situated in that part of North Fitchburg now known as Crockerville. From that time until 1830 his life was a continuous struggle to meet financial obliga- tions, times were hard, a freshet damaged his mill, and machinery began to take the place of manual labor; to compete successfully with other manufacturers he was compelled to incur increased expense, but courage and force of will, faith and his known honest character car- ried him through. He was hampered by insufficient working capital, and thereupon made arrangements with a Boston commission house to procure through them his raw materials and chemicals in exchange for his finished product, which he transported himself by team to Boston. At this time he owed $12,000 on the orig- inal purchase of his mill and yet felt impelled to raise $10,000 more for new machinery. To add to his troubles the commission house demanded payment of a balance against him of $4,000 not yet due. In spite of these hindrances he struggled on, liquidated his debts and pushed his business to substantial success. In the course of time he built additional paper mills and also became interested in railroad construction. The firm of Crocker, Burbank & Company, which had been or- ganized in 1850, later obtained control of seven mills, producing fifteen tons of paper daily, these mills being the Snow, or Upper Mill; the Cascade Mill, the Upton Mill, the Whitney Mill, the Hanna Mill, the Lyon Mill, and the Stone Mill, built over a period extending from 1839 to 1854, and being acquired respectively by this firm in 1862, 1863, 1859, 1860, 1868, 1869, and 1871. Mr. Crocker identified his private interests with the interests of the town, realizing that what would increase the pop- ulation and the industries and resources of the town of his adoption would benefit each individual citizen. A man of broad understanding and sympathies, his long and useful life, helped in the upbuilding of the community. He was instrumental in the building of the Fitchburg Railway, now a part of the Boston & Maine Railway. He also supervised the construction of the Hoosac Tun- nel and the Hoosac Tunnel route, achievements in the engineering world whose successful accomplishment was obtained under the most adverse conditions. His ser- vices to his fellow citizens were not unrecognized, and in 1835 he was elected Representative to the Massachu-
setts Legislature. In that body, in 1836, he voted for the subscription by the State of $1,000,000 to complete the Western Railroad, and but for his advocacy, it is probable that the subscription would not have been made at that time. On his return home, he aroused the citizens of his town and the surrounding country on the importance of railroads and direct railroad connections with Boston, with the result of building such communi- cation, and in his being returned to the Legislature again in 1842. On March 5, 1845, he rode into Fitch- burg on the first locomotive that passed over the road, and he was elected first president of the Fitchburg Road. He later resigned that office to become the pres- ident of the Vermont and Massachusetts Railroad Com- pany. He later became engaged in railroad operation in various parts of the State, and his work in this con- nection was of great benefit to the people. He was in- strumental in establishing a complete system of water works in Fitchburg, and he erected buildings for various manufactures, thus aiding in the establishment of new industries in the town. Later Mr. Crocker became in- terested in Turner's Falls and organized, with other capitalists, the Turner's Falls Company, in 1866. This corporation purchased the rights and franchises of the old organization known as "The Proprietors of the Upper Locks and Canals on the Connecticut River, in the county of Hampshire," and bought lands in Mon- tague, on the river front, near the falls. A dam with a' fall of thirty feet, and a capacity of 30,000 horse power was constructed, and from 1866 to the end of his life the daring projector worked indefatigably for the success and prosperity of the new town, spending his own money freely and inducing others to do likewise. He had planned the establishment of a public library and other institutions at Turner's Falls, when death claimed him. Mr. Crocker was instrumental in organ- izing the Crocker National Bank, the Crocker Institu- tion for Savings in Turner's Falls, and he was one of those who founded the Rollstone National Bank of Fitchburg, in 1840, a member of its board of directors for the remainder of his life, and was chosen its presi- dent in 1870. Mr. Crocker worked incessantly for the development of the resources of Northwestern Massa- chusetts, and his ability and public spirit were recog- nized generally, and he was chosen to fill the unexpired term in Congress of the Hon William B. Washburn, who was elected Governor of the State. He took his seat on January 2, 1872, and was reëlected to the Forty- third Congress, receiving 14,919 votes. On December 19, 1874, while attending to his Congressional duties in Washington, he was seized with what appeared to be a cold that was epidemic at the time in the national cap- ital, and left for his home, and his death followed a week later, on December 26, 1874.
Mr. Alvah Crocker married, August 14, 1829, Abigail Fox, who died August 21, 1847, leaving four daughters and one son. Mr. Crocker married (second), April 9, 1851, Lucy A. Fay, who died January 29, 1872. On No- vember 20, 1872, he married (third) Minerva Cushing. One of his children was Charles Thomas, of whom further.
(V.) Charles Thomas Crocker was born March 2, 1833, at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, son of the Hon. Alvah and Abigail (Fox) Crocker, and died in 19II. He re-
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ceived his education in the public schools of his birth- place, following which he immediately entered the em- ploy of the Crocker & Burbank Company, of which his father was the head. Upon the death of his father in 1874, Charles T. Crocker became the senior member of this firm, and under his leadership it was carried for- ward with success until 1900, when Mr. Crocker retired from active business life. He was a director of the Crocker National Bank at Turner's Falls, and a trustee of the Crocker Institute for Savings, in the same town, both of which organizations had been established by his father.
Charles Thomas Crocker married (first), October 14, 1857, Helen E. Tufts, whose death occurred twenty years later, in 1877. He married (second), June 1, 1881, Helen T. Bartow. Mr. Crocker had two sons, Alvah, of whom further; and Charles T.
(VI.) Alvah Crocker, son of Charles Thomas and Helen E. (Tufts) Crocker, and a member of the sixth generation of the Crocker family in America, was born at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, August 21, 1858. His early education was obtained in the public schools of Fitch- burg, following which he entered and was graduated from the Fitchburg High School. He then matriculated at Harvard University, taking the liberal arts course. He was graduated from Harvard with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1879.
Alvah Crocker married, October 14, 1880, Charlotte Bartow.
HENRY FARNSWORTH SAWTELLE-The rec- ords in Somersetshire, England, contain data of the Sawtelle family earlier than the beginning of the reign of Queen Elizabeth (1558), and according to those records, it is evident that Richard Sawtell, the immi- grant ancestor, who founded the Sawtelle family in New England, was born in Aller, Somersetshire, in 1604, and married Elizabeth Pople, of High Ham, Somersetshire, in 1628, and came to Massachusetts Bay among the early settlers.
(I.) Richard Sawtell was one of the proprietors of Watertown, Massachusetts, and lived there from 1636 until 1661, when he and his family moved to Groton, Massachusetts, and he had a twenty-acre right. He was chosen the first Town Clerk, and served for three years, 1662-63-64, the first years that town records were kept. Butler's "History of Groton" refers to him as follows : "Various were the modes of expression, chirographies, and orthographies used by the several clerks. Richard Sawtell's style in each of these particulars was very good, and very similar to the records in the county offices made at and about the same period. His records prove him to have been a scholar." Green's "Historical Sketch of Groton, Massachusetts," states: "Without doubt, he was the Richard Sawtell who served in Major Appleton's company during Philip's War." Richard Sawtell and his wife, Elizabeth, had ten children, among them Zach- ariah, of whom later. Richard and his wife subse- quently returned to Watertown, where he died August 21, 1694, and his widow, Elizabeth, only survived him until October 18 of the same year.
(II.) Zachariah Sawtell, son of Richard and Eliz- abeth Sawtell, was born at Watertown, Massachusetts, May 26, 1643. He went to Groton in 1661 and became
one of the original proprietors. He married (first) Elizabeth Parker, and (second) Mary, family name unknown. They had five children, one, Zachariah, Jr., of whom further. During King Philip's War Zach- ariah Sawtell with his family and other inhabitants of Groton were obliged to remove elsewhere for safety, and it was probably during that period (1675-6) that Zach- ariah, Jr., was born.
(III.) Zachariah Sawtell, Jr., son of Zachariah and Elizabeth (Parker) Sawtell, was born about 1675-6, and died at Groton, October 2, 1737. He was a farmer and brickmaker, and resided at Groton during all of his ac- tive years. His wife was Mary or Marcy, family name unknown. They had ten children, all born at Groton; one, Daniel, of whom further.
(IV.) Daniel Sawtell, son of Zachariah, Jr., and Mary or Marcy Sawtell, was born in Groton, September 21, 1704, and married, at Concord, Massachusetts, February 28, 1727, Esther Heald, of that town, and settled at Groton, where their seven children were born; one, Oliver, of whom later. It is probable that Daniel and his wife, Esther, moved to Springfield, Vermont, after three of their sons located there.
(V.) Oliver Sawtell, son of Daniel and Esther (Heald) Sawtell, was born in Groton, Massachusetts, June 5, 1743. A party of ten from Groton and vicinity were among the first settlers in Springfield, Vermont, after John Nott, who was there in 1752. The "History of Springfield" states that probably in 1753 a settlement was made in that town by Daniel, Jacob, and Oliver Sartwell, on a ridge of land later known as Sartwell's Hill. At that time they were about nineteen, sixteen, and ten years of age, respectively. In the early records of Springfield, Vermont, the name Sawtell was spelled Sartwell, but elsewhere the name was spelled Sawtell, which was the original English form. However, the more modern form of spelling is Sawtelle. Oliver Sawtell was a prominent citizen of Springfield, and was elected a Constable in 1773, a lister in 1781 and 1782, and a grand juryman for several years. In 1780 he was a soldier in the Revolution in the Springfield company, Captain Abner Bisbee, in Colonel Wood's Regiment. In 1781 he served in the company of Captain Peter Page, regiment of Lieutenant-Colonel Ebenezer Walbridge. Oliver Sawtell married (first) Mary, family name un- known, who died in Springfield, Vermont, August 15, 1774. He married (second) Hannah Taylor, Decem- ber 25, 1777. There were three children by the first marriage, one named Haile, of whom further. Oliver Sawtell died November 20, 1807, and Hannah, his second wife, died September 22, 1812, both in Springfield, Vermont.
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