USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 38
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John W. Litchfield married, at Worcester, A. Edith Wiggin, daughter of Stephen W. and Rebecca (Smith) Wiggin, and they are the parents of one son, Andrew W., who was born May 5, 1904.
EDMUND LORD NICHOLS, of Gardner, as a leading executive of one of the oldest chair manufac- turing concerns of Worcester County, Massachusetts, is carrying forward a business interest with which his hon- ored father was identified in the early years of its his- tory. For nearly thirteen years Edmund L. Nichols has been connected with the business, and for six years has filled the responsible office of treasurer. One of the well-known young men of Northern Worcester County, Mr. Nichols is held in the highest esteem both by his associates and contemporaries in business, and among the people generally.
Charles Nichols, Mr. Nichols' father, and for many years treasurer of the same concern, was born in West- minster, Massachusetts, July 4, 1847, and was reared and educated there. At the age of twenty-one years he be- came identified with the firm of Nichols Brothers, of which the present concern is the outgrowth. This busi- ness was founded in 1857 by Fred and Francis Nichols,
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his elder brothers, and from its earliest activity was a leading concern in the manufacture of chairs. Located in Westminster for more than thirty-five year, Charles Nichols became identified with its progress at the age of twenty-one years, his status from that time having been that of a member of the firm. Not long there- after a younger brother, Marcus Nichols, was received into the firm, and eventually Charles and Marcus Nichols bought out the founders and carried the business for- ward together. In 1892 the Westminster plant was dis- continued and a fine new structure was erected at Gard- ner, and with increased facilities and more adequate space, the business was given new impetus. At the time operations were begun in the new building, Reuben S. Stone was received into partnership. A man of broad business experience and long active in the chair industry, he took a leading part in its activities, and when the business was incorporated in 1907 he was made president of the concern. Mr. Nichols becoming treasurer. On September 9, 1907, the plant was destroyed by fire, but the courageous members of the organization only bent their energies the more determinedly toward success, and rebuilt on a larger scale than before. In July, 1917, Charles Nichols retired on account of failing health, and on December 19, 1917, he passed away, leaving be- hind him a monument of honored esteem in the hearts of all who knew him, as well as the industry with which he had been so long and ably connected. The affairs of the corporation were taken up by younger hands, but the inspiration and faith of the man who carried it through the early years of its history will not lose their influence, but will re-act on the prosperity of the organi- zation. Mr. Nichols was a man of broad sympathies and the highest personal integrity, and his contemporaries of the chair business rendered to him their deepest respect and esteem. Charles Nichols was a member of Charles W. Moore Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Fitchburg; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivan- hoe Commandery, Knights Templar ; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston; and also of the Gardner Boat Club. He was well known in banking circles in Worcester County, having been a director of the Westminster National Bank for many years, and later of the Gardner Trust Company, of which latter he was vice-president at the time of his death. He married Alice Brown, also a. native of Westminster, Massachusetts, who died in 1901.
Edmund Lord Nichols, son of these parents, was born in Westminster, Massachusetts, February II, 1890. His education was begun in the local public schools, and he had the further advantage of a course at the Wor- cester Academy. In the fall of 1910 he entered the plant of the Nichols & Stone Company, Incorporated, as an employee, and about four years later was made a member of the firm, taking his place on the board of directors. For the first six years of his connection with the firm Mr. Nichols acted as their representative on the road, and was very successful in this line of effort. This experience also brought him constantly in touch with the market conditions of the moment, and this has been invaluable to him since, in shaping the policies of the concern. On July 17, 1917, Albert H. Stone, who had been identified with the business since 1902, was
elected president of the corporation, succeeding' his father, Reuben S. Stone, and Mr. Nichols was elected treasurer to succeed his father, whose retirement oc- curred at this time. His subsequent activity has con- tributed definitely to the progress of the interest, and as one of the younger executives of the chair industry in Gardner, he holds a leading position in the business of the city. Mr. Nichols is a member of the Gardner Chamber of Commerce and bears a part in all movements which have for their object the betterment of civic or social conditions. He has never thus far, however, ac- cepted leadership in public affairs, his time and atten- tion being almost wholly occupied by his business re- sponsibilities. Fraternally he is a member of Hope Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; and of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a member of Gardner Lodge, No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. A well-known member of the Chair City Club, Mr. Nichols finds his chief relaxation in out- door sports, and holds membership also in the Gardner Boat Club. His political affiliation is with the Republican party.
Edmund L. Nichols married, on February 20, 1912, Maude May Carlton, of Gardner, daughter of Luther and Estella (Wright) Carlton, her father for many years an engineer, in the employ of the Heywood Broth- ers & Wakefield Company, of Gardner. Mr. and Mrs. Nichols have three children: Carlton Edmund, Alice Estelle, and Janet. The family home is at No. IIO Edgell Street, Gardner, Massachusetts.
DR. BARTHOLOMEW P. SWEENEY-Among the successful men of the medical profession in Wor- cester County is Dr. Bartholomew P. Sweeney, of Leo- minster, Massachusetts, who for the past ten years has been engaged in general practice in that city. He re- ceived his medical education in the State of Maryland, but practically his entire active career has been devoted to caring for his large clientele in Leominster.
Dr. Sweeney was born in Nassau, New Hampshire, February 26, 1887. He is a' son of Myles Sweeney, who was born in England, and was engaged in business as a stone mason to the time of his death, and of Ellen (Cowan) Sweeney, a native of the Province of Quebec, Canada, who died in 1914.
Bartholomew P. Sweeney received his early education in the parochial and public schools, including the high school of Nassau, and upon the completion of his high school course he became a student in the medical depart- ment of the University of Maryland, from which he was graduated in 1911, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine. For a year and a half after the completion of his studies he served an interneship in the Hebrew Hospital and Mercy Hospital, at Baltimore, Maryland, and at the end of that time decided to devote another year to the study and practice of surgery in the Hebrew Hospital. He then, in 1913, opened an office in Leomin- ster, Massachusetts, and since that time has been con- tinuously engaged in practice there. He has built up a large and important clientele, and has won the esteem both of his professional associates and his many patients,
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who honor him not only as a skillful and faithful physi- cian, but as a public-spirited and progressive citizen and a valued friend.
Dr. Sweeney is on the surgical staff of Leominster Hospital; is a member of the Worcester (Massachu- setts) District Medical Association; of the Massachu- setts Medical Association, and of the American Med- ical Association, and keeps closely in touch with the newest discoveries and the latest thought of his profes- sion. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of the Knights of Colum- bus; of the alumni of the University of Maryland; and Phi Chi fraternity. His religious affiliation is with. St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church of Leominster.
On April 28, 1913, Dr. Sweeney married Goldie M. Basley, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, daugh- ter of Soloman and Ida (Constantina) Basley. Dr. and Mrs. Sweeney are the parents of three children: Ellen G., Bartholomew, and Bernard.
JONATHAN DAVIS-Among the prominent New England families is that of Davis, and they have long been identified with one of the most important indus- tries of our land, that of agriculture and kindred farm- ing. Jonathan Davis, who was a well-known member of this family, was a farmer and cattle dealer of Sterling, Massachusetts, where for many years he was one of the leading town officers.
Mr. Davis was born in Westford, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, on June 10 ,1830, and died April 11, 1917. He was a son of George and Sophia (Whitcomb) Davis. His grandfather, Jonathan Davis, was a native of Tewksbury, Massachusetts, and a farmer by occupation, and for some years was a resident of Bolton. He died at Billerica, in the same State, at the age of forty-two years, his son, George, the father of Jonathan Davis, of this review, having been born in Bolton.
George Davis began life as a farmer in Westford, and in 1846 moved to Sterling, where he purchased the farm which was later owned and occupied by his son, and re- sided there until his death, which occurred when he was about sixty-four years of age. His wife, Sophia, who was born in Templeton, Massachusetts, was the daughter of Rufus Whitcomb, a farmer, and she died at the age of sixty-six. She was the mother of four children, one a daughter, Ophelia, who married E. A. Lynde, of Iowa; and a son Jonathan, of whom further. The parents at- tended the Unitarian church.
Jonathan Davis was educated in the public schools, supplemented by courses of study at the Lancaster High School and the academy at New Ipswich, New Hamp- shire. In the winter time he taught school, until he was twenty-six years of age, when he bought a half interest in the homestead farm, and after the death of his father he purchased his sister's interest in the property. Before his death Mr. Davis owned, besides the home farm of seventy-five acres, a large amount of outlying land, and was engaged in general farming, keeping a number of cows for his own use, and shipping milk to Boston. Once a week he visited Brighton for the purpose of buying at the markets milk cows, in which he was one of the most extensive dealers in the State, always keeping on hand a number for sale. Mr. Davis always took an
interest in public affairs and gave his services to the community in many offices. He was a Republican in his politics, and was one of the Selectmen of Sterling for nearly twenty years, not continuously, but his activities covered that period in total. During those times when he served as a member of this board he was always its chairman. He served on the Board of Health for an equal period; was Road Commissioner and also Over- seer of the Poor; Assessor; and a member of the School Committee. He was also a member of the Worcester East Agricultural Society and the Farmers' Club. In his religious affiliation Mr. Davis attended the Congre- gational church.
Jonathan Davis married (first), in 1856, Urania Ingalls, of Putney, Vermont. She died four years later, leaving one daughter, Mary, who died October 5, 1917. Mary Davis became the wife of A. M. Wilder, a grain dealer in Somerville, Massachusetts, who died in April, 1923. Mr. Davis married (second) Ellen Smith, of Athol, Massachusetts, daughter of Aden Smith, a retired brick manufacturer. Mr. and Mrs. Davis were the par- ents of five children : I. Louise S. 2. George, deceased. 3. Maria. 4. Alice. 5. John A., a sketch of whom follows.
JOHN A. DAVIS-Successful in his individual activ- ities and well known as a prominent citizen of Sterling, Massachusetts, John A. Davis holds a leading position in local affairs both of a business nature and in those interests which contribute to the welfare of the com- munity more directly. A man of energy and ability who has been devoted to practical lines of endeavor for many years, Mr. Davis is thoroughly representative of a group of citizens who have made Worcester County what it is to-day.
The Davis family is an old one in New England, and George Davis, Mr. Davis' grandfather, came to Sterling from Westford, Massachusetts, about 1847, taking a leading place in the local progress during a subsequent period of many years. The Davis farm, where he settled was originally owned by E. Butterick, and was the birthplace of the inventor of Butterick patterns. Jon- athan Davis, son of George Davis, and father of the subject of this review, was born in Sterling and became one of the founders of the present firm known as the Wilder, Walker & Davis Company, of which John A. Davis is a member. He married Ellen Smith, also a member of a prominent Massachusetts family.
John A. Davis was born in Sterling, Massachusetts, July 5, 1877. His education was begun in the local public schools, and after covering the high school course he attended Cushing Academy, at Ashburnham, Massachu- setts, then returned to the home farm, which he has since conducted successfully. He deals in cattle, and also is a member of the firm above mentioned, which holds a leading position in the lumber industry in this part of the State, buying standing timber and convert- ing it into lumber and cord wood which they distribute at wholesale. This concern was founded by Frank L. Wilder, W. S. Walker, and Jonathan Davis many years ago, and has been an influence for the progress and pros- perity of the town of Sterling. Mr. Davis is a well- known figure in the world of finance in this section,
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being a director of the Clinton Trust Company and a trustee of the Clinton Savings Bank. A Republican by Political affiliation and always a worker in the ranks of the party, Mr. Davis was elected to the Board of Select- men in 1915 and still serves. He is a member of Trin- ity Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Clinton, Massa- chusetts, and Sterling Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, and attends the Federated church.
Mr. Davis married, at Boylston, Massachusetts, No- vember II, 1904, Maud H. Shattuck, daughter of George and Mabel (Clark) Shattuck. Mrs. Davis is a grand- daughter of Rufus Watson Shattuck, who was born in the State of Vermont, but when still a young lad re- moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, and there married Sarah M. Brittan, of Worcester. Mrs. Davis' mother is a daughter of George W. and Myra (Harmon) Clark. Mr. and Mrs. Davis are the parents of four children, all born in Sterling: Jonathan, born October 7, 1905, now attending Dartmouth College, class of 1927; Mabelle, born September 26, 1907; Evelyn Elizabeth, born November 18, 1909; and George Shattuck, born December 8, 19II.
GEORGE E. PROULX-A member of the Massa- chusetts bar and a legal advisor of the United States Government during the World War, Mr. Proulx was born at Southbridge, Massachusetts, June 13, 1890, son of John B. and Mary (Simpson) Proulx. His father, who is of French descent, has long been a resident of Southbridge.
Mr. Proulx received his preliminary education in the Notre Dame Parochial School at Southbridge, and also College Monnoir, St. John, Quebec, and St. Michael's College, Winooski, Vermont. He also attended the Bancroft School at Worcester, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in 1914, then entered the law department of the Boston University in the autumn of the same year. An active and ambitious student, Mr. Proulx, during his years of legal training, did not con- fine his reading to the prescribed course, but seized every opportunity to examine the historical background of substantive law and methods of legal procedure. He was graduated from Boston University with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in 1917. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Proulx took the State examination and was admitted to the Massachusetts bar. He entered upon the practice of his profession at Leominster during the same year and has taken an active part in the legal affairs of Wor- cester County ever since. For some time past he has been a master of chancery at Leominster. He is also clerk pro tempore of the courts, a Notary Public, and holds the position of Probation Officer, also of Justice of the Peace. He has been a member of the Worcester County Bar Association for several years, and as a member of the Legal Advisory Board during the World War, he gave a great deal of his time to United States Government Work in Worcester County.
A man of many affairs, and a staunch believer in the im- portance of local commerce and industry, Mr. Proulx has made large investments in Leominster and the sur- rounding country and takes the keenest and most prac- tical interest in the business affairs of the community. He is a director of the Model Comb Company, and a
trustee of the Leominster Realty Company. A leader in local Franco-American affairs, he is president of the Club Laurier, Inc., and belongs to the Artisans-Che- valiers de Lafayette. He also holds membership in the Conseil Bourget, No. 280, of L'Union St. Jean Baptiste d'Amerique ; the Court Chapleau, No. 10, Franco- American Foresters, and is Supreme Sub Chief of the latter. He is also a member of the Leominster lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. A rep- resentative member of a very old French Catholic fam- ily, Mr. Proulx is himself a Catholic and a member of the parish of St. Cecilia's French Roman Catholic Church of Leominster.
Mr. Proulx married, on June 20, 1921, Laura Coté, daughter of Napoleon and Delia (Vijeant) Coté.
LIONEL B. KAVANAGH-As sole owner and manager of the Standard Tool Company of Leominster, Lionel B. Kavanagh is at the head of a business which is the largest of its kind in the United States. The con- cern is engaged in the manufacture of tools and special- izes in tools used in the celluloid industry. It is in the latter branch of production that the Standard Tool Com- pany ranks first, and manufacturers of celluloid combs and of celluloid toilet articles and novelties in every part of the East are using the products of Mr. Kavanagh's plant.
Alfred P. Kavanagh, father of Lionel B. Kavanagh, was a native of England, where he learned his trade, being bound out as an apprentice for seven years. When he came to the United States he worked at his trade first in Providence, Rhode Island, later going to Fitch- burg, Massachusetts, where he acted as foreman for a number of years. Then, on account of ill health, he engaged in the life insurance business and so continued until his death. He married Elizabeth Price, who be- came the mother of Lionel B., and is now (1923) living at her summer home, "The Grafton," at Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
Lionel B. Kavanagh was born in Providence, Rhode Island, April 19, 1889, and received his education in the public schools of Fitchburg and of Leominster. Upon the completion of his course in the Leominster High School he prepared for a business career by taking a course in the Fitchburg Business College, and then en- tered the employ of the Viscoloid Company of Leomin- ster, with whom he learned the trade of toolmaker and die sinker. His next position was with M. Falk & Company as foreman of the die department, and that connection he maintained for a period of two years. In IgII he became associated with F. A. Adams in the or- ganization of the concern which is now known as the Standard Tool Company. They engaged in the manu- facture of a general line of tools, but specialized in those implements which are used in the manufacture of cellu- loid articles, such as combs, toilet articles, and novelties. The present Standard Tool Company is the consolidation of three companies : The Stowell Company, the Frank A. Cook Company, and the Standard Tool Company. They were first located at No. 300 Whitney Street, then at No. 15 Summer Street, and are now at No. 75 Water Street. Mr. Kavanagh acquired all these. At first the plant contained 400 square feet of floor space, but now
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comprises three floors with an aggregate floor space of 12,000 feet. From the beginning the enterprise was suc- cessful, and during the more than twelve years of its existence has been steadily growing. The output of the concern has been steadily increasing, and at the present time thirty-five workmen are required to do the work of the plant. The F. A. Cook Company was established in 1884 by Frank A. Cook, and its interests represent a valuable part of the Standard Tool Company's hold- ings. Though Mr. Kavanagh is still engaged in produc- ing a general line of tools, he has also continued to specialize in tools designed for the use of the cellu- loid industry, and in that particular branch he ranks first in the country. For eleven years, 1913-1924, Mr. Kavanagh has been the owner of the entire enterprise, and his ability as an executive has been fully demon- strated. Fraternally he is affiliated with Leominster Lodge, No. 1237, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and with the Knights of Columbus, of which he is a fourth degree member. His clubs are the Monoos- nock Country Club, the Leominster Club, the Worces- ter Country Club, and the Leominster Country Club. His religious connection is with St. Leo's Roman Catholic Church of Leominster. Golf and fishing are Mr. Kavanagh's recreations, principally fishing. Every year he takes a fishing trip or two to Canada and Maine.
Mr. Kavanagh married, on June 8, 1911, Ada M. Fer- rell, who was born in West Fitchburg, Massachusetts, daughter of John and Mary (O'Dea) Ferrell. Mr. and Mrs. Kavanagh are the parents of one son, John Alfred, who was born in Leominster, November 26, 1914.
JAMES HENRY WALSH, JR., A. B., LL. B .- In north Worcester County, Massachusetts, the name of James Henry Walsh, Jr., holds a prominent place in professional circles. A leader in the younger generation, gifted with fine mental endowment and marked ability as a speaker, Mr. Walsh comes of a family long prom- inent in the public life of Leominster, Massachusetts, and his father, James Henry Walsh, has for many years served as postmaster of Leominster.
James Henry Walsh, Jr., was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, February 24, 1889, and is a son of James Henry and Lillian E. Walsh. His early education was received in the public schools of Leominster, and in the year 1904 he entered Goddard Seminary, of Barre, Ver- mont. After a four years' course at that institution, Mr. Walsh entered Clark University, at Worcester, Massa- chusetts, from which he was graduated in 1911 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. His choice of a profes- sion made, he entered Boston University School of Law in the fall of the same year and was graduated from that institution in the class of 1913, receiving his de- gree of Bachelor of Laws. Admitted to the bar of the State of Massachusetts, September 12, 1913, Mr. Walsh became a member of the firm of Walsh & Walsh, attor- neys, of Fitchburg and Boston. As a member of this important firm. Mr. Walsh has gained a high position in his chosen field of activity and his ability as an advo- cate, as well as his profound knowledge of the law, makes him a' formidable adversary and a strong ally. He is widely sought professionally and has handled much practice in the interest of financial and other institu-
tions, although principally active along general lines. He is a Democrat by political affiliation, but although a loyal supporter of the principles of the party and a worker in its ranks, he has been too busy to accept pub- lic responsibilities, Still a young man, looking forward to many years of usefulness, he is considered one of the strong men of the profession in Worcester County, and great things are expected of him in the future. Dur- ing the World War Mr. Walsh enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve and was assigned to an officers' training camp, but the armistice intervened before he was commissioned. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, Wor- cester County Bar Association, the Fitchburg Bar As- sociation, and fraternally is identified with Fitchburg Lodge, No. 847, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; Fitchburg Post, No. 10, American Legion, of which he was commander in 1920. His clubs are the Fay Club of Fitch- burg, the Oak Hill Country Club of Fitchburg, the Colonial Club of Leominster, and of the Gamma Eta Gamma fraternity. His religious affiliation is with St. Bernard's Roman Catholic Church of Fitchburg.
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