USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 31
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(VI.) Haile Sawtell (Sartwell), son of Oliver and Mary Sawtell (Sartwell), was born in Springfield, Ver- mont, February 24, 1767, and married (first) Eleanor Sartwell, May 19, 1789. By this marriage there were three children, one, Moses, of whom further. He mar- ried (second) Dolly Wood, September 17, 1809, and they had seven children. In 1810 they moved to Crown Point, New York, which was then but a small settlement, and his work was that of a pioneer. He died at Ticonderoga, New York, January 25, 1842, and his wife, Dolly, died March 5, 1863.
(VII.) Moses Sawtell, son of Haile and Eleanor
Henry F. Sawtelle
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(Sartwell) Sawtell, was born in Springfield, Vermont, February II, 1793. He was educated in that town, and came to Massachusetts when a young man, and resided for a time at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, where he mar- ried Clarissa Farnsworth, of Groton, Massachusetts, October 5, 1817. They had eight children, one, Charles Farnsworth, of whom further. Moses Sawtell, after living a few years at Fitchburg, Massachusetts, moved to Westminster, Massachusetts, where he resided for a number of years, and later moved to Jaffrey, New Hampshire, on a farm at the foot of Monadnock Mountain, where he died February 16, 1857. His widow, Clarissa (Farnsworth) Sawtell died at Bolton, Massa- chusetts, October 30, 1862.
(VIII.) Charles Farnsworth Sawtelle, son of Moses and Clarissa (Farnsworth) Sawtell, was born in Fitch- burg, Massachusetts, November 27, 1819. He was edu- cated in the Fitchburg schools, and during his boyhood days lived on a farm, and later, for about thirty years operated sawmills, either for himself or others, and was located during those years at Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, Jaffrey, New Hampshire, Rindge, New Hampshire, Leominster, Massachusetts, and Bolton, Massachusetts. In 1870 he bought a farm in the south- erly part of Leominster, to which he moved with his family and which he successfully operated until 1895, when, on account of advancing years, he leased his farm and bought a residence at No. 128 Central Street, Leo- minster, where he lived until he passed away, February 12, 19II, in his ninety-second year, a man remarkably well preserved for one of his age. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Leominster, and in pol- itics was a Republican. He was a man of sterling char- acter and upright life, vigorous and strong, a perfect type of the sturdy, prosperous New England farmer. Charles Farnsworth Sawtelle married (first) Mary Ann Osborne, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, September 10, 1844, who died July 26, 1850. By this marriage there was one child, Mary Maria Sawtelle, born June 10, 1850, who died September 7, of the same year. He married (sec- ond) Mary Brown Woodbury, March 17, 1853, who was born June 8, 1827, daughter of Luke Woodbury and Sally (Conant) Woodbury, of Bolton, Massachu- setts. She was a member of the First Baptist Church of Leominster, and died March 20, 1915, in the eighty- eighth year of her age. The Woodbury family trace their ancestry to the immigrant ancestor who came to this country from England in 1624 and settled on the northern coast of Massachusetts Bay at that location which is now the city of Beverly. To Charles Farns- worth Sawtelle and Mary Brown (Woodbury) Sawtelle two sons were born: I. Charles Woodbury, was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, January 4, 1854. He was educated in the public schools of Bolton and Leomin- ster and resided at home, assisting his father on the farm, and was deeply interested in agriculture. He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Leominster, Massachusetts, and in politics was a Republican. He died January 10, 1910. 2. Henry Farnsworth, of whom further.
(IX.) Henry Farnsworth Sawtelle, younger son of Charles Farnsworth Sawtelle and Mary Brown (Wood- bury) Sawtelle, was born in Bolton, Massachusetts, November 30, 1863. He was educated in the public
schools of Leominster and at Eastman Business Col- lege, Poughkeepsie, New York. For the following five years he was employed as bookkeeper and clerk in a hardware store in Leominster. In 1888 Mr. Sawtelle, in company with Joseph W. Estabrook, established in Leominster a hardware and paint store, under the firm name of Sawtelle and Estabrook, that firm continuing until 1893, when Mr. Sawtelle bought his partner's interest and became sole owner. Later he bought the block he occupied, which is known as Sawtelle Block, and has so continued business to date (1924). By his strict integrity and careful attention to the requirements of his customers he has conducted a prosperous business. He has been a large real estate owner for many years, has been interested in real estate developments, and has extensive real estate holdings in several States. Mr. Sawtelle is a Republican in politics, is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, Improved Order of Red Men, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Loyal Order of Moose and the Leominster Historical Society. From 1910 to 1916 he was a member of the Board of Select- men, and was chairman the last five years. In 1915 Leo- minster voted to become a city, and city government was inaugurated in January, 1916. Mr. Sawtelle had the honor of being elected the first Mayor, and he is now serving on his fifth consecutive two-year term. At three elections he had no opposition, and at each of the other two elections he received an overwhelming majority. Mayor Sawtelle married, October 12, 1898, Effie Adams, a direct descendant of President John Adams. She was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, February 20, 1866, the daughter of Hanson Hoyt Adams and Martha Jane (Paul) Adams.
HON. WILLIAM ANDREW MURRAY-Promi- nent in legal circles, and also in the public life of the State of Massachusetts, William A. Murray is one of the foremost figures in the professional world of Mil- ford, Massachusetts, and with law offices in the city of Boston, also, he is counted among the largely successful and widely noted lawyers of this State. He is well known also in fraternal circles, and in every branch of civic and social advance lends his influence to all worthy effort.
William A. Murray was born at Milford, Massachu- setts, June 17, 1889, a son of James and Teresa (Taft) Murray. His education was begun in the local public schools, and following his graduation from the Milford High School, he entered Boston University School of Law, from which he was graduated in 1910. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar when twenty-one years of age. Mr. Murray immediately became associated with various prominent law firms of Boston, continu- ing until November, 1918, when he established his own offices both in Boston and in Milford. Residing in Mil- ford, and a leading citizen of this community, his time is perhaps more fully commanded by his practice in the courts of Suffolk, Middlesex, Norfolk, and Worcester counties than any lawyer of his age in the community, and he holds high rank in the profession, his practice in- cluding many important legal cases carried to a suc- cessful conclusion.
An able speaker, as well as an authority on many branches of law, Mr. Murray has been brought into the
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public service in various ways. He is a loyal advocate of the principles and the policies of the Democratic party, and was elected from a Republican district to the House of Representatives of the State of Massachu- setts for two consecutive terms, he first being elected in 1916, at the age of twenty-seven years. No Democrat ever since has managed to be elected in this district since Mr. Murray retired in 1922. He was brought for- ward also as a candidate for State Senator, but although defeated, the narrow margin which his opponent gained was significant of his popularity, for it was in a Re- publican stronghold that he so nearly defeated the Republican candidate, reducing a Republican plurality in 1920 of 9,000 to the small number of 244. Mr. Mur- ray's work as a legislator counted not only for the wel- fare and progress of his own locality, but for the general advance of conditions throughout the State, and his constituents felt that in their representative they and the community as well were honored. During the World War Mr. Murray served on the Legal Advisory Board, and also as local investigator for the War Risk Bureau, further giving largely of his time and means in the ad- vancement of the many home war activities. Fraternally, Mr. Murray is identified with Milford Lodge, No. 628, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is Past Grand Exalter Ruler; also the Knights of Co- lumbus, of which he is Past Grand Knight; and the Fraternal Order of Eagles; and the Ancient Order of Hibernians. He is a member of the Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. Murray married, at Milford, September 21, 1914, Mary E. De Pasquale, a Milford public school teacher. Mr. and Mrs. Murray are the parents of three children : William, Jr., Mary Norma, and Joseph.
HELEN GRACE ESTEY-An interesting and use- ful career is that of Helen Grace Estey, who for a number of years has been identified with various impor- tant libraries of the State of Massachusetts, and is now librarian of the Athol Public Library. Highly educated and always in close touch with all advance relevant to her work, Miss Estey is doing much for the progress and benefit of this institution, and is making it broadly useful to the people. Miss Estey is a native of this State and county, and a daughter of George Franklin and Victoria Stewart (Wishart) Estey, her father well and favorably known in Gardner, Massachusetts, in the trucking and jobbing business.
Helen Grace Estey was born at Gardner, Massachu- setts, October 15, 1885. Following the elementary and grammar courses, she attended Gardner High School, from which she was graduated in the class of 1904. She then entered Drexel Institute Library School, and was graduated the following year, after which she took up library work as her vocation. More recently she has covered an employment management course at Boston University, also a University Extension Course in French and Spanish. Miss Estey's first experience in her chosen field was at Leominster Public Library, as- suming her duties in July, 1905, and in September, 1905, she was made assistant librarian of that institution. She was active in this library for a period of about twelve years, and during that time the library moved into a fine new building, where its facilities and circulation
were materially increased. In 1917, after taking the Massachusetts Civil Service examinations, Miss Estey received appointment to the important position of li- brarian of the Massachusetts Bureau of Statistics. With the consolidation of the State departments about two years later, she was appointed librarian of the De- partment of Labor and Industries. This position Miss Estey filled for more than two years, and during her stay in Boston she participated in the founding of the Special Libraries' Association of that city, taking a deep interest in its meetings and in the development of its activities. In September, 1922, she accepted her present position as librarian at the Athol Public Library. This institution is one of the progressive organizations in its field in the State of Massachusetts, and comprises a col- lection of 12,818 volumes, suitably divided between adult's and children's books, and embracing a very wide scope of serious and scientific literature as well as fiction. The circulation for the year 1922 amounted to 60,663 volumes. Miss Estey has won the confidence and esteem of the patrons of the library and its officials as well, and her work is contributing definitely to the advance of education and to the general well-being. Miss Estey is the compiler of a really important work, the bibliog- raphy of the "Cost of Living in the United States."
In the civic and benevolent advance Miss Estey takes a part, lending her influence to all progressive effort. She is a supporter of the Republican party, was secre- tary of the Leominster Suffrage Club, and acted as teller in the Gardner organization. She is a member of Signet Chapter, No. 22, Order of the Eastern Star, and in ad- dition to her connection with the Special Libraries' Asso- ciation of Boston, she holds membership in the American Library Association, the Massachusetts Library Club, and was formerly a member of the Leominster Fort- nightly Club, and active in its civic department. She is a member of the American Red Cross, and an earnest worker in its behalf.
WILLIAM H. HOBBY-Standing back of the con- structive activities of the Chair City of Gardner, Massa- chusetts, William H. Hobby is counted among the most important business executives of the business world of this community, and is the senior partner of the firm of Hobby Brothers, proprietors of the Gardner Machine Works. Trained for his present activities in some of the foremost industrial plants of the State of Massachu- setts, Mr. Hobby has built his success on the enduring foundation of ability and practical experience, and has not only achieved a high position in his chosen field but has done much for this and allied fields of industrial endeavor.
The Hobby family is an old one in the State of Massachusetts, and William Hobby, Mr. Hobby's grand- father was a pioneer in the chair industry in Boston, when all the work was done by hand. The name of William Hobby has been carried down in the family from the pioneer ancestor of early Colonial times, and many men of this family have gained renown. The first doorkeeper of the United States Congress was a Hobby, and Captain John Hobby was an officer in the War of the Revolution, in the Continental army. Wil- liam M. Hobby, Mr. Hobby's father, was born in Mel- rose, Massachusetts, and by occupation was an expert
William H. Hobby
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BIOGRAPHICAL
machinist, for many years employed in the Boston Navy Yard. A veteran of the Civil War, he served in that struggle as a member of Company I, 12th Regi- ment, Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, better known as Colonel Thatcher's regiment, which was almost an- nihilated during their period of service. William M. Hobby was a man highly esteemed by all who knew him, and his death, at the age of forty-seven years, in 1883 was mourned by all. He married Lucy A. Elm, who was born in Camden, Maine, and survived him for eleven years, passing away in 1894, at the age of sixty- seven years.
William H. Hobby, son of these parents, was born in Charlestown, now a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, December 6, 1866. His education was begun in the pub- lic schools of Boston, his graduation from high school occurring in 1883. Thereafter he took a three years' course in designing and drafting in a technical school founded by a Boston philanthropist, and had just passed his examinations preparatory to entering the Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology when financial matters compelled him to forego the completion of his educa- tion and assume the responsibility of his mother's sup- port. He secured employment with an uncle, who had charge of a department in the Walworth Manufacturing Company's brass and iron foundry. There he learned drafting and pattern-making, and following the comple- tion of his apprenticeship he came to Gardner. This was in 1887, and Mr. Hobby at once secured a position in the plant of L. G. Knight, a manufacturer of chair machinery. There he soon became a competent all- round machinist, continuing with the firm for about three years. Finding his life mapped out for him along different lines that he had contemplated, Mr. Hobby simply made the best of the situation, and determined upon fitting himself for the highest possible attainment in the field in which he was engaged. He went to Boston to perfect himself in another branch of the ma- chinist's trade, namely, gear cutting, and remained there for about two years. Upon his return to Gardner Mr. Hobby entered the employ of the Heywood Brothers & Company, and in this connection mastered the practical application of his knowledge to the chair industry. Dur- ing all the foregoing period Mr. Hobby's activities had been broadly constructive, and in 1894, with this splen- did preparation and equipment, he established the present interest in partnership with his brother, Edgar N. Hobby. In the twenty-seven years which have since intervened, as the head of this increasingly important interest, Mr. Hobby has won his way to large prominence in the industrial life of Gardner. Beginning as manu- facturers of chair machinery only, and that principally for the local demand, the brothers have extended the scope of the business until they now make machinery for many different industries, and their product goes to all parts of the world. Chair machinery has been their specialty, however, throughout their entire history, and in this connection William H. Hobby has taken a place of far more than ordinary significance. Possessed of large inventive genius, he has solved many problems of the chair industry, and has designed and built machines which have revolutionized the chair industry and are in general use to-day, tripling and quadrupling the output of the plants where they are installed. Mr. Hobby has
never capitalized his inventive talent, but looking upon life from the point of view of the philanthropist, prefers the greatest good for the greatest number, rather than personal gain. Had he chosen to realize for himself all that could be wrung from his many inventions, he would undoubtedly be a very wealthy man.
Mr. Hobby is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce, and served for some years on the Republi- can Town Committee, but otherwise takes only the in- terest of the progressive citizen in public life. He is a member of Charles Sumner Camp, Sons of Veterans; of Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; also of the Improved Order of Red Men.
William H. Hobby married, in 1889, Ada G. Clapp, of Gardner, and they are the parents of two daughters : Nettie L., wife of Ellery Trickell, of Portland, Oregon; and Alice, wife of Henry Le Blanc, teller of the First National Bank of Gardner.
JAMES E. YOUNG, a member of the Massachu- setts State Legislature, was born at Charlestown, Massa- chusetts, November 4, 1885, son of Charles D. and Annie M. (Griffith) Young. His father, who was born at Annapolis Valley, in Nova Scotia, settled in the United States at an early age. He had an adventurous career as an Indian fighter on the Western frontier, and was one of Custer's scouts. Mr. Young's mother, who was born in England, is of Welsh descent and belongs to a branch of the Griffith family of Carnarvon.
Mr. Young received his preliminary education in the public schools of Massachusetts. After his graduation from the Winchendon High School he proceeded to Lawrence Scientific School and took a course in civil engineering. He was graduated as a civil engineer from Lawrence and might have entered at once upon the prac- tice of his profession, if he had not received an advan- tageous offer from the glove manufacturers, Simon, Hatch & Whittier, to represent them as a traveling sales- man. This firm had at a previous time recognized Mr. Young's pronounced selling ability, and on that account wished to enroll him as a permanent member of their sales force. Mr. Young accepted their offer and for eight years remained in association with them, selling gloves of their manufacture to the wholesale and retail trade in various parts of the country. During these years of salesmanship he made a great many friends and acquired invaluable experience of modern business methods and an accurate knowledge of the conditions that underlie many of the trade problems of the present day. The relations between himself and the members of the firm were always of the most cordial and agree- able character, and when he finally decided to give up his position as one of their traveling representatives, his departure was a matter of deep regret to his employers as well as to all his other associates in the business. Acting in accordance with the terms of a decision he had arrived at some months before, Mr. Young, upon leaving Simon, Hatch & Whittier, returned to Winchendon and established himself in practice as a civil engineer. Widely known for his public services, he has continued to make Winchendon his home and business headquar- ters ever since.
In political faith Mr. Young is a Republican. He has been a member of the Republican Town Committee for
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the past fifteen years, and at the present time and for two years past he has served as chairman of the Win- chendon Board of Selectmen. For ten years he has filled the office of Town Engineer, and for nine years was a member of the Sewer Commission. He served two years as a member of the Massachusetts State Legislature. Keenly interested in the political ques- tions of the hour and having a bias toward quick, practical, and efficient solutions in politics, as in all other human affairs, Mr. Young is regarded as one of the leaders of thought in Worcester County, and men of all parties admit the soundness of his views in regard to politics in general, however much they may disagree with him in details. With Mr. Young, the old idea of the greatest good to the greatest number is not enough. He believes that everybody should have a fair chance, and that so far as is humanly possible, citizens should be taught and encouraged and inspired to make the most of themselves, their lives, and their opportunities. A hard worker himself and a man of great mental energy and resourcefulness, Mr. Young exerts a personal in- fluence in public affairs which extends beyond the con- fines of any creed or party and on this account his views carry great weight in public discussions. Mr. Young is a member of the Unitarian faith, and is a Mason of the thirty-second degree. He holds all the orders up to and including the Shrine, and belongs to Aleppo Temple at Boston. He is a member of the Avon Club of Win- chendon.
Mr. Young married, on June 30, 1910, at Winchendon, Abby L. Bent, daughter of Elisha M. and Julia R. (Chaplain) Bent. Mrs. Young's parents are both natives of Fitzwilliam, New Hampshire, where she herself was born. Mr. and Mrs. Young have one child, Julia R., who is named for her mother's mother, and who was born at Winchendon September 2, 1916.
PERCY A. ATHERTON, A. B., LL. B., was born in Harvard, Worcester County, Massachusetts, June 24, 1877, the son of Charles P. and Sarah (Sawyer) Ather- ton. He attended the public schools in Harvard, and after graduating from the Bromfield School, in Har- vard, in June, 1896, entered Harvard College with the class of 1900. In June, 1900, he was given the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then attended the Harvard Law School from September, 1900, to June, 1903, and in June, 1903, was given the degree of Bachelor of Laws. After being admitted to the bar in October, 1903, he was associated with the firm of Morse & Friedman, in Bos- ton, later becoming a member of the firm. He is at present practicing law in Boston as a member of the firm of Friedman, Atherton, King & Turner, with offices at No. 30 State Street.
From 1903 to 1915 Mr. Atherton served in the Massa- chusetts Volunteer Militia, resigning in the latter year with the rank of major. He is a member of the Uni- versity Club of Boston, the Harvard clubs of New York and of Boston the Harvard Musical Association of Boston, and the Worcester Country Club. He is inter- ested in apple growing on the former Luke Whitney farm, in Harvard, where he spends the summer months with his family.
Mr. Atherton was married, at Boston, June 4, 1910, to Louise Newhall Valpey, daughter of Henry R. and
Nancy (Newhall) Valpey of Cambridge. Mr. and Mrs. Atherton have three children : Henry Valpey, born May 6, 1911; Sarah Sawyer, born December 12, 1913; and Nancy, born September 14, 1917.
FRANCIS H. LEE-A name which meant much to his day and generation was that of Francis H. Lee, whose lifetime was spent principally in philanthropic work, his health during the greater part of his career precluding extensive activity in the business world. The life of Mr. Lee was one which to the world of men and affairs might have seemed futile, but like a flower in a place of shadow its beauty was known and loved by those whose privilege it was to come in touch with his gracious spirit or share in his benevolence. Mr. Lee was a son of John C. Lee, who was born at Salem, Massachusetts, and became a leading figure in the world of finance in the city of Boston. Educated in his native city and acquiring some experience in his chosen field of endeavor, John C. Lee became one of the founders of the Lee & Higginson Bank of Boston, a private finan- cial institution of that early day which made a long and eminently useful record. He was counted among the largely progressive men of his day, and his name stands on the permanent records of the city as one of honor and distinction, although he has now for many years been deceased. He married Harriet Paine Rose, who was born on the island Antigna, West Indies, the daugh- ter of Dr. William Paine, of Worcester, Massachusetts, but whose life was principally spent in Worcester, Massa- chusetts.
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