USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 34
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active service. He is also a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity, and Mt. Zion Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons. 4. Susan, born January 7, 1898, died the same day. 5. Evelyn Laura, born December 3, 1902, is a student at Wellesley College, class of 1925.
RALPH R. HARRIS-Ralph R. Harris is a leading figure in the younger group of professional men of Worcester County, Massachusetts, handling a large and constantly increasing legal practice in Leominster. As- sociated with many branches of progressive effort as well, he is broadly representative of the public-spirited man of the day, who in all his activities bears in mind the general welfare. He is a son of Charles W. and Harriett (McKenney) Harris, his father for many years a prominent farmer of this county. His maternal grand- father, Oliver H. McKenney, was a veteran of the Civil War.
Ralph R. Harris was born on the farm in Lunenburg, Worcester County, Massachusetts, November 1, 1891. His education was begun in the public schools of Leo- minster, to which place the family moved when he was an infant, and after completing the high school course he entered the Northeastern College of Law at Boston, and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1914, with the degree of LL. B. Admitted to the bar of his native State in January, 1915, Mr. Harris became associated in practice with Clarence E. Tupper, of Worcester, Massachusetts, having charge of the Fitch- burg office, where he continued for about one year. He then came to Leominster, and opening an office at No. 42 Main Street, entered upon the practice of the law in- dependently. He has developed an extensive clientele, and has gained an assured footing in the profession, now standing among the well known and successful men of the day in this section. He is also interested financially in the Harris Ice Company of Leominster, one of the progressive business organizations of this town, of which he is treasurer, founder, and chief owner. Mr. Harris served in the World War, enlisting in May, 1918, and was assigned to the Officers' Training Corps at Camp Hancock, Augusta, Georgia. He was made ord- nance sergeant of the first class and assigned to head- quarters as executive clerk to the personal adjutant of Colonel Benet. Serving from May, 1918, to April, 1919, in this capacity, he received his discharge from the service in April, 1919, and returned to his interrupted professional activities.
A Republican by political affiliation, Mr. Harris is a leading worker in local affairs, and is now serving as chairman of the Republican City Committee of Leo- minster, now serving his second term, 1921-23, and 1923-25. For three years, during 1917-18-19, he was a member of the School Committee and was auditor of same. He is well known fraternally in this vicinity, being a member of the Free and Accepted Masons and the Masonic Club, also of the Leominster Grange, of which he is Past Master. He is a popular member of the Sons of Veterans, of which at this time (1923) he is Senior Vice-Commander and Commander in 1924.
Mr. Harris married, in September, 1920, Ruth R. Pills- bury. He is a member of the Congregational church of Leominster, and president of the board of trustees. His favorite recreations are camping and traveling.
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BIOGRAPHICAL
THOMAS F. DENNEY-In one of the leading groups of younger executives in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Thomas F. Denney, of Gardner, Massa- chusetts, is commanding the attention of the furniture trade in the East as president of the Gardner Uphol- stered Furniture Company, manufacturers of living room suites of distinctive design and permanent artistic value. Mr. Denney is only thirty years of age, but his position in his chosen field of endeavor appraises very definitely the energy and ability which have made him a note- worthy figure in an important industrial field.
The Denney family came originally from Ireland. James H. Denney, Mr. Denney's father, was born in Salem, Massachusetts. He was for thirty-six years sec- tion foreman on the railroad between Hubbardston and Gardner, was a man of highest character, esteemed by all who knew him. He died in March, 1918. The mother, Julia A. (Fitzgerald) Denney, was born in Dingle, Ireland, and came to the United States as a child of twelve years with her widowed mother. She passed away in February, 1923.
Thomas F. Denney was born at Hubbardston, Massa- chusetts, December 21, 1892. His education was begun in the public schools of his birthplace, and he was grad- uated from the Hubbardston High School in the class of 1909. Thereafter attending Worcester Business In- stitute, he was graduated from that institution in the class of 19II, and immediately entered the business world. His first position was in the employ of the John A. Dunn Company, in which connection he acted as cost clerk for a short time only, then became identi- fied with C. B. Kendall & Company, dealers in coal and ice. With the latter concern he remained for about three years, after which he associated himself with the W. L. Shaughnessy Company, manufacturers of casket hardware. Mr. Denney represented this interest on the road as a commercial salesman until he enlisted for service in the World War, in July, 1917. He was sent overseas with the first unit of the Gas Service, and re- mained with this command during the entire period of the war, serving eighteen and a half months overseas. During this time he was stationed in London, England, and at various points in France. Mr. Denney was a passenger on the steamship "Leicester," an English ves- sel plying between Hollyhead, Wales, and Kingston, Ireland. This vessel was torpedoed by German sub- marines in the Irish Sea on October II, 1918, and Mr. Denney was one of the one hundred and sixty sur- vivors of the catastrophe, from the eight hundred and ninety-one souls on board the vessel. He was severely injured, his right arm rendered useless. The vessel was struck by two torpedoes and sank in eight minutes. Mr. Denney managed to cling to bits of wreckage and keep his head above water for the two hours and twenty minutes which elapsed before he was picked up by a rescue boat. The armistice was signed before he was again fit for service, and in February, 1919, he was returned to the United States and received his honorable discharge from the service ten days after his arrival on this side.
The following August Mr. Denney became associated with James H. Noonan and William A. Earle in the organization of the Gardner Upholstered Furniture Com-
pany, Inc., Mr. Denney becoming president of the con- cern. These three young men, all with practical ex- perience, founded the business principally upon their high courage and faith in themselves and in the taste of the buying public. Their cash capital was a negligible quantity. But though they have as yet been active as a manufacturing concern less than four years, they have reached a high position, and now hold the atten- tion of the entire manufacturing world of New Eng- land. They make nothing but richly elegant upholstered furniture. The artistic standard of their product has received remarkable recognition in their having been chosen the one New England firm to exhibit at the "Home Beautiful" show in Boston, in April, 1923. In March, 1921, the members of this corporation organized the Hubbardston Chair Company, in Hubbardston, Worcester County, Massachusetts, for the manufacture of wood seat chairs and specialties in the chair trade, of which Mr. Denney is the managing director.
Mr. Denney is well known fraternally, being a mem- ber of Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, the Knights of Columbus, and the local post of the American Legion.
ALLEN LONGFELLOW ADAMS holds a broadly responsible position in the business world of Worcester County, Massachusetts, as executive secretary of the Typothetæ of Worcester. Broadly interested in every phase of public advance, and an able and efficient exec- utive, Mr. Adams has been identified with various lines of business allied with the printing trade, and for the past three years has filled his present position. He is also prominent in social and fraternal circles in Wor- cester.
Mr. Adams is a son of John Adams, who was born at Gray, Maine, and was engaged as a carpenter until his death, which occurred in 1886, when his son was only a child. John Adams was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in Company K, 7th Regiment, Maine Vol- unteer Infantry, as a private.
Allen Longfellow Adams was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, March 26, 1882. Following his elemen- tary studies in the local schools, he entered Worcester High School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1900. Thereafter he covered a special course at Boston University in employment management and pub- lic speaking, also took special courses at the Young Men's Christian Association and the Post Business Col- lege of Worcester, from which he was graduated in the class of 1902. Mr. Adams' first business experience was in the employ of the Logan, Swift & Brigham En- velope Company of Worcester, with which he was iden- tified for a period of eighteen years. During this time he rose from the position of stenographer to that of paymaster of the factory and employment manager, and he filled these responsibilities efficiently and to the benefit both of the concern and its working force. In 1920 Mr. Adams accepted the office of executive secre- tary of the Typothetæ of Worcester, and is still active in this connection. His administrative ability and his broad sympathies, as well as his progressive spirit, fit him well for the work in which he is now engaged, and he is counted among the really influential men of Wor-
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cester. He has various affiliations in the allied organi- zations of this city, serving as trustee of the Worces- ter County Mechanics' Association, as treasurer of the Club of Printing House Craftsmen of Worcester, and serving on the Citizenship Committee of the Public Education Association. He also is a member of the Worcester Association of Cost Accountants, and is iden- tified with the Worcester Advertising Club and the Worcester Chamber of Commerce. He was the editor of a unique work entitled, "Three Centuries of New England Achievements," of which only one copy was published, and that was presented to President Harding in 1922 by the Printing Craftsmen of New England. Mr. Adams is a regular contributor to various printing trade magazines.
During the World War Mr. Adams served on the special State committee which was headed by Colonel Gaston, of Boston, to investigate the conduct of em- ployment offices, Federal, State, and private, and further served as cost advisor in the Northeast Division of the United States Signal Corps during the war. Fraternally Mr. Adams is identified with Morning Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Worcester Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; and Hiram Council, Royal and Select Masters ; and is also a member of the Sons of Veterans.
Mr. Adams married, in 1907, Winifred W. Doyle, who was born in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and they re- side at No. 92 High Ridge Road, Worcester.
QUINCY H. MERRILL, M. D .- In professional circles in Webster, Massachusetts, in the public service, and in fraternal advance, Dr. Merrill is a broadly prom- inent figure. A native of the State of New Hampshire and a member of an old family of that section, Dr. Mer- rill is a son of Rev. James Louis and Jennie M. (Heald) Merrill. His father was a Congregational clergyman, and for many years was a pastor of churches at South Royalston and Arlington, Massachusetts.
Quincy H. Merrill was born at Milford, New Hamp- shire, September 24, 1874. Securing his early educa- tion in the local grammar and high schools, he later at- tended Phillips-Andover Academy, after which he en- tered the University of Pennsylvania for his course in the liberal arts, then took up the study of medicine at the University of Vermont, from which he was gradu- ated in the class of 1898 with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. Opening his offices at Leominster, Massa- chusetts, he remained in that city in active practice until the year 1905, when he settled permanently in Webster. He has developed a very extensive practice in this com- munity, principally along general lines, but has kept in touch with all medical advance. Dr. Merrill is a mem- ber of the American Medical Association, the Massa- chusetts State Medical Society, the Worcester County Medical Society, and the Webster and Dudley Medical Club. A Republican by political affiliation, he was brought forward in the public service some years ago, and for nine years has served on the School Committee of the town of Dudley, acting as chairman of this com- mittee for seven years. He is also a member of the Board of Health, and serves as school physician in the town of Dudley. During the World War he was very active in all movements in the support of American Ex-
peditionary Forces, and served on Medical Advisory Board No. 10, at Palmer, Massachusetts, also as a mem- ber of the Council of National Diseases. Dr. Merrill's more personal interests include membership in Webster Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; also in the Knights of Pythias; and the Alpha Kappa Kappa college fra- ternity. He attends the Congregational church of Dudley.
Dr. Merrill married Mabel A. Winters, of Milford, New Hampshire, and they have one daughter, Marion.
CHARLES J. O'CONNELL-In legal circles in Worcester County, Massachusetts, Charles J. O'Connell is a leading figure, and with offices in the city of Worcester he is taking a prominent part in the professional advance, his influence counting for all that contributes to the welfare and progress of the people. Mr. O'Connell is a man of ability, alert to public affairs and general con- ditions. He is a son of Daniel O'Connell, who was born in Ireland, and was active throughout his lifetime as a machinist, a man of upright spirit, esteemed by all who knew him. He died in 1902. The mother, Bridget (Shea) O'Connell, was also born in Ireland, and died in 1915.
Charles J. O'Connell was born in Worcester, Massa- chusetts, August 1, 1880. His education was begun in the local public schools, and having early determined upon his choice of a profession, the young man entered Boston University Law School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1909, with the degree of Bach- elor of Laws. Within the year he took up the practice of his chosen profession in the city of his birth, and in the fourteen years which have since elapsed he has won large success. With offices at Nos. 630-32 State Mutual Building, he handles a general practice, and his natural ability and close attention to the interests of his clients have carried him to an enviable position in the profes- sion. He is a member of the State and County bar associations and the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, and fraternally is prominent, being a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, also of the Knights of Columbus, of which he has been advocate for the past seven years. He is identified with the Washington Club, in which he has held various offices ; and his religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic Church of the Blessed Sacrament.
Mr. O'Connell married, in 1917, Mary E. LaVache, who was born in Marseilles, France, and they are the parents of two children : Donald and Charles J., Jr.
EDWARD H. SAXTON-The name Saxton or Sexton is a very ancient one and is derived, it is believed, from the office of Sacristan, now known as the sexton or verger of a church; indeed there is a record of one Hugh Sacristan, living in County Kent, England, in 1273. There is a parish in Yorkshire named Sexton, which may have given its name to some of the family residing there when surnames were adopted, and even the parish may have taken its name from the same church office. The American families, Saxton-Sexton, seem to have descended from one George Saxton, who was of Westfield, Massachusetts, and there died in the year 1689. There were five men named Sexton or Saxton on record as coming to New England prior to 1650-
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BIOGRAPHICAL
Giles, Peter, Thomas, Richard, and George. The first two were Puritan ministers, who did not permanently re- main in the colonies, but returned to England, where they died. Thomas settled in Boston and undoubtedly left descendants: Richard settled in Windsor, Connec- ticut, and George in Westfield, where his oldest son Benjamin, was born in 1667. He later was in Windsor, Connecticut, where another son, John, was born May 26, 1673. He returned, however, to Westfield, Massa- chusetts, where he died in old age. In fact, length of years seems to be a family attribute, for a descendant, Major S. Willard Sexton, is now (1923) living in Wash- ington, District of Columbia, at the age of ninety-four, and is described as still being "hale and hearty." Major Sexton reviews a long and useful life, during which he has borne his part well. He has shirked no duty, but has met every responsibility fairly, and he is honored and esteemed in his community, as he deserves to be, and is worthy of his title, "grand old man." His son, Edward H. Saxton, whose name furnishes the caption of this review, is one of Leominster's prosperous busi- ness men, with Boston interests and connections.
Edward H. Saxton is a son of Major S. Willard and Mary G. (Grant) Saxton (both of whom are living in Washington, District of Columbia), his father a re- tired officer of the United States Army. He was born in Amesbury, Massachusetts, and there was educated in the public schools. He early found a connection with the jewelry business and became thoroughly familiar with that line as a commercial activity. He finally estab- lished, in Boston, the E. H. Saxton Company, wholesale jewelers, a company of which he is yet treasurer, that business being now located at No. 387 Washington Street, Boston. In 1914 Mr. Saxton bought a controlling in- terest in the Leominster Shell Goods Manufacturing Company of Leominster, Massachusetts, and shortly afterwards incorporated that business with Edward H. Saxton as president. In 1912 the company bought out the Yale Novelty Company, a quarter of a million dollar corporation, which they operate as the Yale Division of the Leominster Shell Goods Manufacturing Company. Mr. Saxton is now the principal owner of the enterprise, as he is of the Boston corporation, the E. H. Saxton Company. The New York offices of the company are at No. 1328 Broadway. For three terms Mr. Saxton was president of the Leominster Chamber of Commerce, being the first executive head elected by the chamber upon its organization. He is a member of the Massa- chusetts Associated Industries and active in the delib- erations and work of that body. For two years he was a member of the executive committee of the Massachu- setts State Chamber of Commerce, and national council- lor of the United States Chamber of Commerce of America. In the Masonic order Mr. Saxton is affiliated with Mt. Hermon Lodge, also with the chapter and commandery of Knights Templar. He is a member of the Leominster Club, Pine Orchard Country Club, Sachems Head Yacht Club, and the Monoosnock Coun- try Club. He is a Republican in politics, and a member of the Unitarian church. His recreations are golf, fish- ing, and yachting, and he travels extensively, chiefly on pleasure. He has a beautiful summer home at Sachems Head, Long Island Sound.
Mr. Saxton married Meda B. Dobbs, of Port Jervis, New York. Mrs. Saxton is a member of the Thursday Musical Club, which she aided in organizing, and of the Fortnightly Club of Leominster, taking an active interest in both clubs and in the social life of the community.
NORMAN H. FARR-Among the notably success- ful business men of Leominister is Norman H. Farr, owner and proprietor of Farr's Pharmacy of Keene, New Hampshire, and secretary and vice-president of the Leominster Shell Goods Manufacturing Company, with offices at No. 1328 Broadway, New York City; and No. 387 Washington Street, Boston, Massachu- setts.
Mr. Farr as born in Keene, New Hampshire, Jan- uary 9, 1890, son of Fred M. Farr, a native of Chester- field, New Hampshire, who was engaged as a pattern- maker and as a musician during the greater part of his life, and of Mary (Hills) Farr, who was born in Swansey, New Hampshire, both of whom are now living in Keene, New Hampshire. Norman H. Farr re- ceived his education in the public schools of Keene, New Hampshire, and after completing his high school course, found his first position as clerk in a drug store in Keene, where he remained for a year and a half. At the end of that time he associated himself with the Newburyport Silver Company of Keene, and that con- nection he maintained for a period of two and a half years, at the end of which time, in 1915, having accu- mulated sufficient capital, he purchased the drug busi- ness formerly known as the Hodgkins Pharmacy, in Keene, New Hampshire. That business he has continu- ously and successfully conducted up to the present time (1923). In 1918 Mr. Farr removed to Leominster and became associated with the Leominster Shell Goods Manufacturing Company, of which he is now secre- tary and vice-president. The concern is a prosperous and growing one and its products are sent to all parts of the country. Mr. Farr is well known in Masonic circles, being a member of Lodge of the Temple, No. 88, Free and Accepted Masons, of Keene, New Hamp- shire; of Cheshire Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Keene; Hugh de Payne Commandery, Knights Templar, of Keene; and of the Masonic Club of Leominster. He is also a member of the Leominster Club, the Monoos- nock Country Club, and the Keene (New Hampshire) Chamber of Commerce. He attends St. Mark's Epis- copal Church of Leominster.
On June 28, 1913, Mr. Farr married Florence Her- rick, who was born in Brattleboro, Vermont, and they are the parents of one daughter, Jane, who was born October 6, 1919.
LUCIUS B. CRANSKA, as the head of an import- ant manufacturing industry in Worcester, Massachusetts, as well as of the parent plant in Moosup, Connecticut, is a noteworthy figure in the business life of his section. The Cranska interests have for nearly half a century been centred in the manufacture of cotton yarns and thread, producing at their Worcester plant a fine quality of cotton sewing thread for the manufacturing indus- tries, and in this field they are among the leaders. Lucius B. Cranska has been identified with the business since his youth, and is one of the strong executives of the manufacturing world.
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He is a grandson of Lucius Briggs, who was a prom- inent manufacturer, and who was for many years man- ager of the plants of the Grosvenordale Company, Gros- venordale, Connecticut, and one of the founders of the Glasgo Yarn Mills Company, Glasgo, Connecticut, and of the Glasgo Thread Company of Beacon Street, Worces- ter, where the Cranska Thread Company is now located. Floyd Cranska, the father of Lucius B. Cranska, was born at Thompson, Connecticut, in 1849, and from his youth was active in textile mills in Windham County, that State. In the year 1880 he established the Cranska Yarn Company in Moosup, Connecticut, and until his death, March 3, 1920, he was at the head of the company, re- siding in Moosup and keeping in close touch with the interests of which he was the founder, and for so many years the leading spirit. Under his direction the mills were enlarged and entirely reconstructed of brick, ma- chinery of the latest pattern was installed and a modern power plant erected. Electricity is generated by a steam turbine and is used in driving the motors with which the machinery is connected, and the excellent equipment insures a fine quality of product. Mr. Cranska was well known in the trade and counted among the successful men who started out as pioneers and won distinction. He was a Republican in politics, and for two terms represented his district in the Connecticut Legislature. He was a Presidential elector in 1904, and always took a lively interest in public affairs. Floyd Cranksa married Evelyn Briggs, who was born in Thompson, Connecticut, and died in 1900. They were the parents of four children : Annie L., married William A. Hill, of New Rochelle, New York; Lucius B., of further mention; Harriet A., married Thomas J. Seaton, of Moosup, Connecticut; and Evelyn C.
Lucius B. Cranska was born at Thompson, Connec- ticut, January 3, 1880. His education, begun in the local public schools, and the family thereafter residing in Norwich, Connecticut, for a time, was continued in the Norwich Free Academy, whence he was graduated in 1898. Even from boyhood Mr. Cranska was inter- ested in textile industry, and to follow this he went to Lowell, Massachusetts, where he took a comprehensive course in the Lowell Textile School. He then became identified with his father in the early development of the present enterprise in Moosup, and in 1907 was made president and assistant manager of the Moosup mill. In 1917 he was made treasurer and manager of the Wor- cester branch of the business, and upon the death of his father, March 3, 1920, he assumed the management of both plants. The Worcester plant is located at No. 49 Hermon Street, where they occupy three floors and em- ploy about sixty people. They are equipped with the most modern and efficient machinery, and manufacture a high class product in such forms as are required by the manufacturers who constitute their market. The Moosup plant employs about one hundred and eighty people. As the head of this business, Mr. Cranska holds membership in the National Association of Manufac- turers, the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the Cot- ton Thread Manufacturers Exchange, and the Home Market Club of Boston. He has few interests outside of his business, but is a member of the Lions Club and the University Club, both of Worcester. He attends the Baptist church, and resides at No. 26 June Street, Wor- cester.
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