USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 5
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inent place in the industrial life of Fitchburg, and under Mr. Smith's efficient management is still going forward to constantly larger success. Mr. Smith's affiliation with other business interests has frequently been sought, and he is one of the directors of the Safety Fund National Bank of Fitchburg, having served as clerk of the board of directors since 1915. He is also president of the Rockwell Woolen Company, of Leominster, Massachu- setts, and of the Belle Vue Mills of Clinton, Massachu- setts. Mr. Smith was brought forward in the public service of the community as a member of the School Board and served in that capacity for a period of nine years, from 1891 until 1900. In 1902 he became a mem- ber of the Board of Aldermen of the city of Fitchburg, and three years later he was elected Representative to the General Court of the State of Massachusetts. Thenceforward, for about twelve years Mr. Smith was not active in any leading position in the public service, although as always he gave his best endeavors to the promotion of any worthy cause. In November, 1917, he was made chairman of the Fuel Committee of Fitch- burg and served in that capacity until 1919. His clubs are: The Fay Club, of Fitchburg; the Oak Hill Coun- try Club, of Fitchburg; the Tatnuck Country Club, of Worcester; the Exchange Club, of Boston; and the Episcopal Club of Boston. His religious affiliation is with Christ Church, of Fitchburg, of which he was treasurer for about twenty-six years.
Mr. Smith married, on December 26, 1881, at Wor- cester, Massachusetts, Mary Isabel Tilton, daughter of Emery and Ruth (Ingraham) Tilton. Mr. and Mrs. Smith are the parents of two children: Florence May, born October 2, 1882, who married Phillip W. Flint, and whose children are : Elizabeth, Mary, Rosamond ; and Katharine, born March 1, 1892, who married Ralph Heighway Fales.
CLARENCE CRAVEN COULTER-One of the most important enterprises in the town of Clinton, Massa- chusetts, is that now represented by Clarence C. Coulter as its executive head, this being The W. J. Coulter Press, Incorporated, publishers and general printers. Clarence Craven Coulter was born in Clinton, Massachusetts, educated there, and has spent his entire life in the print- ing and publishing business which was owned by his father before him and in which he is now engaged. His birth occurred June 1, 1868, his parents being William James and Selina (Craven) Coulter.
His father, William James Coulter, who died in January, 1922, was a three months' volunteer at the out- break of the Civil War, and was engaged in the first gen- eral engagement at Bull Run. At the end of this en- listment he again volunteered, his time for three years, was promoted to first lieutenant, and took part in the battles of Antietam, Gettysburg, Cold Harbor, and Petersburg, where he was captured, serving nine months in captivity. He then returned to Clinton and bought the "Courant," which was conducted under his man- agement until 1914, when the business was incorporated under the name of The W. J. Coulter Press, Incorporated, William J. Coulter becoming president; Clarence C. Coulter, treasurer and general manager; and Annie M. Coulter, clerk. W J. Coulter was a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, the Loyal Legion, and
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was a charter member of the Prescott Club. Besides publishing the "Courant," which is a weekly paper and was originally established in 1846, the Coulter Press publishes the "Item," which was started as a daily paper in 1893, and has ever since been published each evening except Sundays and holidays, and is Clinton's only daily newspaper. In addition to putting out these two pub- lications regularly, the W. J. Coulter Press, Incorporated, handles a large amount of general printing for other business concerns of Clinton and surrounding territory, and has a fully-equipped plant, with modern presses and auxiliary machinery, enabling it to turn out high-grade printed matter of every kind and description in both book and job lines.
Clarence C. Coulter is reckoned among the most pro- gressive and public-spirited citizens of the community, and maintains membership in many leading organizations. Among these are: The Prescott Club, the Chamber of Commerce, Camp No. 19, of the Sons of Veterans; and Masonic bodies, including Trinity Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and the Grotto. He is also a member of the Association of New England Daily Papers, the Massachusetts Press Association, and is a non-resident member of the Boston Press Club.
Mr. Coulter married, in 1897, Mabel Houghton Walk- er, who was born at Oxford, Massachusetts, and they have one son, Craven Houghton Coulter, born Novem- ber 24, 1900, and now (1923) a student at Dartmouth College. The family attends the Episcopal church in Clinton, of which Mr. Coulter is junior warden.
FRED BENNETT COLBY, M. D., a native of the old Pine Tree State, has given to his professional work much of the energy and ability which the world has learned to expect of the sons of the State of Maine. Added to these excellent qualities, his natural talent for his profession and his keen delight in it have carried him far and high among the physicians and surgeons of his day, and in Dr. Fred B. Colby the city of Gardner claims a leading figure in the medical profession in Massachusetts. He is a son of William Henry and Anna Lucinda (Barrett) Colby. His father was born in Gardiner, Maine, and by trade was a blacksmith and general mechanic, always considered a genius in the shoeing of horses and all kinds of iron work. He died in 1888, at the age of forty-eight years. The mother was born in Andover, Maine, and is still living, a resident of Auburn, in that State.
Fred Bennett Colby was born at Andover, Maine, May 30, 1869. His education was begun at Hebron Academy, in Hebron, Maine, and he covered his higher classical courses at Bowdoin College, at Brunswick, Maine. Having early chosen the medical profession he then entered Dartmouth Medical School from which he was graduated in the class of 1895, receiving the de- gree of Doctor of Medicine. Serving an interneship at the State Hospital, at Bridgewater, Maine, for one year, he then went to the Boston Insane Hospital as a mem- ber of the medical staff, remaining there until April, 1905. He had tendered his resignation one year prior to that date, but was induced to remain until his place could be filled. During his stay in this institution the
employees presented him with a very handsome office desk suitably engraved, in appreciation of the esteem in which he was held among them. Going next to High- land Falls, New York, near West Point Military Acad- emy, Dr. Colby conducted the private practice of med- icine for about two years, when a threatened breakdown compelled him to seek rest. In the hope of averting the threatened collapse he went to Rangely Lakes, Maine, where he remained for eleven years. During that period he brought to the little lumber town of the north woods something of the progressive spirit of the outside world, merging his strong personality with the spirit of the community and leading the people to higher apprecia- tion of their privileges as a community. Through his influence many people seeking relief from business worries came and established summer homes near the lakes, also taking the interest of citizens in the little settlement of which they became members. Dr. Colby brought about the utilization of many of the natural advantages of the section and organized a concern for the development of electric power. He was made pres- ident and general manager of the electric lighting plant of Rangely. To accomplish the production of electricity the community required water power, which but for Dr. Colby's work could not have been secured. It was controlled by the Union Water Power Company and the Berlin Mills, and Dr. Colby went before the Legislature where he brought about the passing of bills giving the people of Rangely the right by eminent domain, thereby permitting them to use such power as they required for this public utility purpose. When Dr. Colby had brought the plant into successful operation he resigned from the offices of president and manager. In 1918 he ac- cepted an insistent invitation many times repeated from a resident of Gardner, to visit this place, with the result that he returned to Rangely only to pack and move to Gardner, where he has since resided. He took up the practice of his profession in Gardner upon his arrival here as a resident, and has become one of the foremost professional men of the city, winning his way to the confidence and esteem of the people. Since 1919 he has been on the medical staff of Heywood Me- morial Hospital.
Dr. Colby is a member of the American Medical As- sociation, the Massachusetts State Medical Society, and the Worcester County North District Medical Society. Politically he supports the Republican party, and has now served for four years as a member of the Gardner Board of Health, and is ex-chairman of the same. Fra- ternally Dr. Colby is a member of Kemaukeag Lodge, No. 213, Free and Accepted Masons, of Rangely, Maine, of which lodge he was the second Master; of Gardner Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Ivanhoe Commandery, Knights Templar; Gardner Lodge No. 1426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; and is also a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. He is a member of the Gardner Boat Club, the Oak Hill Country Club, of Fitchburg, and the Wor- cester Country Club. His recreation is golf.
Dr. Colby married, in 1905, Mary Elizabeth Judge, of Summerville, and they have four children: Fred B., Jr., and Beatrice A., both students in Gardner High School; Kenneth G., attending grammar school in Gard- ner; and Marie J.
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RUSSELL B. LOWE, a native son of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, has entered heartily into the business and social life of his city, which has been his lifetime home. He is a son of Arthur H. and Annie E. (Park- hill) Lowe, his father a cotton manufacturer and a prom- inent figure in both city and State politics.
Russell B. Lowe was born in Fitchburg, Massachu- setts, February 14, 1880. He finished public school study with graduation from Fitchburg High School in 1898, then entered Massachusetts Institute of Technology, whence he was graduated class of 1902. Immediately after graduation he entered business life in Fitchburg, and during the two decades that have since elapsed he has reached high position as a cotton manufacturer, being now president of the Parkhill Manufacturing Company. He is a man of energy, enterprise, and pub- lic spirit, a safe and sane executive, and is interested in all that pertains to the welfare of his city. He is di- rector of the Fitchburg Bank and Trust Company, the Merchants' National Bank of Boston, Boston Manu- facturing Company, Indian Company, Sprague, Grout & Sons, and with other business enterprises of his section, and was president of the National Cotton Manufacturers' Association. In politics Mr. Lowe is a Republican, and serves the city of Fitchburg as a member of the Board of Park Commissioners. He holds the rank of captain in the Massachusetts State Guard, but has no fraternal affiliations. He is a member of the Fay Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Worcester Country Club, and the Union League of New York City. In religious faith he is a Congregationalist.
Mr. Lowe married, in Chicago, Illinois, in 1909, Nath- alie Wells, daughter of M. D. and Elizabeth (Corwith) Wells. Mr. and Mrs. Lowe are the parents of three children : Nathalie, born in 1911; Margaret, born in 1916, Russell B., Jr., born in 1922. The family home is at No. 575 Blossom Street, Fitchburg, Massachusetts.
HENRY GRATON GOULD, comptroller of The Graton & Knight Manufacturing Company, and name- sake of one of its founders, Henry Clay Graton, was born in Springfield, Massachusetts, June 6, 1879, son of George H. and Mary A. Gould. He traces his ances- try back seven generations, prior to the marriage of John Prescott, on April 11, 1629, founder of Lancaster, Massachusetts, thus going back to John Gawkroger, of Sowerby Parish, Halifax, Yorkshire, England, whose name occurs there from 1447 to 1505. He received his early education in the public schools of Springfield and in Childs' Business Institute. After leaving school he entered the employ of Ladd, Weaver & Wright, which at that time was the largest insurance agency in Springfield. Here he remained two or three years, after which he became connected with the eastern division of the American Bicycle Company, where he remained for some time, being connected with the selling and credit end of the business. Just before the Bicycle Trust was dissolved he resigned from this company to accept a position as representative in Rhode Island for a New York stock and bond house. Here he remained for three years, returning to Springfield to accept a position with W. H. Gilbert & Company, of that city, as travelling salesman. He afterwards had the entire charge of the selling end of their business.
Mr. Gould came to Worcester as manager of the Royal Typewriter Company, where he shared a part of the office occupied by the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com- pany, No. 9 Pleasant Street. When the Royal Type- writer Company decided to consolidate their Worcester and Boston offices Mr. Gould decided to remain in Wor- cester, and accepted a position with the Worcester Mar- ket Company in January, 1910. At the request of Mr. Graton, Mr. Gould entered the employ of The Graton & Knight Manufacturing Company in June, 1911, in the cost department, and since then he has served as clerk and departmental manager in nearly all the departments of their office. In July, 1916, he was put at the head of the accounting division of the company, and on July I, 1917, he was appointed comptroller by the board of directors. At the annual meeting of the stockholders in January, 1918, he was elected a director, and reap- pointed comptroller by the board.
Mr. Gould is a member of Ridgely Lodge, No. 112, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Quinsigamond Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons; and a life member of Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Hi- ram Council, Royal and Select Masters; and Worcester County Commandery, No. 5, Knights Templar. He is also a life member of Worcester Lodge of Perfection ; Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Lawrence Chapter, Rose Croix; and the Massachusetts Consistory of Aletheia Grotto, No. 13; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, for North America. He is a member of the corporation of the Worcester Five Cents Savings Bank. He is a member of the Worcester Country Club, Commonwealth Club, and Worcester Economic Club.
Mr. Gould married, September 18, 1905, Corinne L. Morin, of Springfield.
FREDERICK W. MORSE-Taking a constructive and practical part in the advance and development of the city of Worcester, Massachusetts, Frederick W. Morse is contributing much to the general welfare, his activities being along the line of real estate and insur- ance brokerage. With offices at Suite No. 825, the Slater Building, he has won a prominent position in the business life of the city, although he is still a young man and has been active in the business world for scarcely more than a decade. Mr. Morse is a son of Frederick J. Morse, who was born in England, and came to the United States as a young man, engaging in the bakery business in the city of Worcester, in which he is largely successful. The mother, Henrietta (Hines) Morse, was born in Nova Scotia, and is also still living.
Frederick W. Morse was born in Worcester, Massa- chusetts, August 7, 1893. His education was received in the local institutions, beginning his studies in the public schools and finishing at Worcester Academy. His early business experience was in the real estate and insurance field, in association with Ernest C. Mulvey. In 1916 he withdrew from the partnership to enter the same field independently, and has won large success. Meanwhile, for about two years, Mr. Morse was active in the newspaper world on the Worcester "Telegram," in a reportorial capacity. He is a member of the Massachusetts Real Estate Exchange, and is broadly interested in all that pertains to the civic and general
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advance, bearing a part in all forward movements. He is a member of Morning Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; of Aletheia Grotto; the Knights of Pythias, the Loyal Order of Moose; and his recreations are outdoor sports. He has been active in athletics since his boy- hood, and was a member of the old English High track team, in which connection he won many medals and cups.
Frederick W. Morse married, on January 6, 1919, Mildred E. Hubbard, who was born in Worcester, daughter of George E. Hubbard, a contractor and builder of Worcester. Mr. and Mrs. Morse have two daughters : Virginia Ruth and Barbara Jean.
GEORGE E. O'HEARN, of Gardner, for many years a prominent figure in the industrial world of Wor- cester County, became the head of an independent interest on January I, 1923, and has now launched a large and most promising enterprise in the manufacture of fibre furniture and kindred products. Mr. O'Hearn is a man of large executive ability and long practical ex- perience, thereby well fitted to assume a position of leadership in his field, and his success in his own busi- ness is beyond a' peradventure.
Patrick O'Hearn, Mr. O'Hearn's father, was for many years one of the most interesting figures of Gardner, as the oldest resident of this community. He was born in Killa, County Cork, Ireland, and came to the United States as a young man. After a short stay in Connec- ticut, he went to Lake George, New York, and with his young bride settled in the virgin forest, clearing a little space and hewing out the timber for his little log cabin. He developed a prosperous farm, then some years later removed to Glens Falls, New York, where he was employed as a longshoreman until the year 1873. Then coming to Gardner, Massachusetts, he was em- ployed variously up to the time of his death, continu- ing active and alert to the affairs of the times until he passed away, in April, 1922, at the great age of one hundred and three years. The wife and mother, whom hie wooed in their native County Cork, she also born at Killa, who as his betrothed came to America on the same ship in the same party, and whom he married in Connecticut, their first stopping place, bravely bore her part in his early struggles to establish a home in the new country, and died in 1866, when George E. O'Hearn, their youngest child, was still an infant.
George E. O'Hearn was born at Lake George, New York, February 22, 1865. His education was acquired in the public and high schools of Gardner, and his en- tering the world of men and affairs in his fourteenth years, was coincidental with the opening of manufac- turing operations in the baby carriage department of the great plant of Heywood Brothers & Co., now Heywood- Wakefield Company. The youth secured a position in this new branch and continued with it for a period of forty-four years, advancing by his own efforts through the various steps, constantly carrying greater respon- sibilities until in 1890 he was appointed superintendent of the plant. This position he filled until January I, 1923, when he resigned to go forward for himself. The new plant was at that time nearly completed, under cover, and ready for the final touches and the installa- tion of machinery and equipment. It is expected that
the plant will be in full operation by midsummer of the present year (1923), and this new enterprise will take a leading place in the field of production for which Gard- ner is already famous. The building is of the most ap- proved construction and is to be fitted up and equipped in the most up-to-date manner, with every provision made for the comfort and well-being of the employees as well as for the turning out of a product of high quality. Mr. O'Hearn has few interests outside of his business activities, but is a director of the First Na- tional Bank of Gardner. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus; Gardner Lodge, No. I426, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. He is also a member of Oak Hill Country Club, and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.
Mr. O'Hearn married, in 1896, Emma J. Rourke, of Gardner, and they are the parents of six children: Dorothy C., a graduate of Wheaton College, at Nor- ton, Massachusetts, class of 1919; George E., Jr., a graduate of St. Michael's College, at Winooski, Ver- mont, now identified with his father in the above enter- prise; Edward, deceased; Alma, a graduate of Worces- ter Business College; Robert, deceased; and Richard, attending the public schools of Gardner.
GEORGE L. TOBEY, SR., a member of an old family in Maine, and well known as a medical prac- titioner in Clinton, Massachusetts, has contributed largely to the development of medical societies by his activity as a member. Mathias Tobey, grandfather of Dr. Tobey, Sr., served as a captain during the Revolutionary War, and his body is laid in the cemetery at Machias Port, Maine. His son, Samuel Tobey, married Nancy B. Robinson, of St. George, Maine, and they were the parents of George L. Tobey, Sr. The father followed the carpenter's trade until his death in 1873; the mother died in 1894.
George L. Tobey, Sr., was born in Machias Port, Maine, June 17, 1853, and there began his education in the pub- lic schools. Later he attended Washington Academy, at East Machias, and then Coburn Classical Institute, at Waterville, Maine, then completed a course in the study of medicine at Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine. He first commenced to practice his profession in 1879, at Shrewsbury, where he remained for a year and a half, and moved to Lancaster, Massachusetts, for a period of fifteen years. After that length of time he decided to settle in Clinton and has continued to practice here ever since, being located at No. 205 Church Street.
Dr. Tobey, Sr., became medical examiner for the Fourth District of Worcester County in 1897, and continues as such. For ten years he served as a member of the Board of Health for Lancaster, Massachusetts, and as a member of the School Board for five years, also served as a member of the Board of Health in Clinton for a number of years. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons. He is a member of the following clubs: The Prescott, Chamber of Commerce, American Medical Association, Worcester County Med- ical Society, Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachu- setts Association of Boards of Health since its organ- ization; and the Massachusetts Medical Legal Society. He has been on the staff of surgeons of Clinton Hospital for twenty-five years. During the World War he was a
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member of the Clinton Riflemen and of Division No. 14, Draft Board.
Dr. Tobey, Sr., married, in 1880, Abbie A. Grant, a native of Machias Port, Maine. The children born to Dr. and Mrs. Tobey are as follows: I. Dr. George L. Tobey, Jr., who was commissioned a captain in the United States Medical Corps and served from 1917 to the end of the war. 2. Guy D., engaged in the real es- tate business in Boston, Massachusetts. 3. Dr. Harold Grant, who served with the first Harvard Medical Unit which embarked for France at the outbreak of the World War and remained there six months before returning to the United States. Later he went back with the Massachusetts General Hospital Unit, having charge of the eye, ear, nose, and throat work at the Bordeaux Base Hospital.
WILLIAM JOSEPH MOORE, in his professional activities, is one of the leading figures of Milford, Massa- chusetts, but in the other lines of progress in which he is constantly active his work is equally noteworthy, for in educational progress, in fraternal organizations, and as a musician, he is holding a leading place in the com- munity. Mr. Moore is a native of this place, and a son of Luke and Eleanor (Mulcahy) Moore, for many years esteemed residents of Milford.
William Joseph Moore was born in Milford, Massa- chusetts, August 5, 1886. His education was begun in the public schools, and he also covered the local high school course, after which for his preparatory work he entered Dean Academy, at Franklin, Massachusetts, from which he was graduated in 1907. For his classical course he entered Notre Dame University, at South Bend, Indiana, and was graduated the following year. Taking up his professional studies at the Boston Uni- versity Law School, he was graduated from that insti- tution in the class of 1911. Mr. Moore was admitted to the bar of the State of Massachusetts and has since practiced in Milford. Well grounded in the law and possessing marked ability as a speaker, Mr. Moore has won his way to large success and is counted among the foremost attorneys of Worcester County. In all branches of civic and community advance Mr. Moore has always been deeply interested, and for a number of years he has held the responsible position of principal of the Milford Evening School. In this connection his work has done much for the encouragement and advance of that part of the population which makes up the ranks of the industrial workers and still looks forward to higher achievement through the acquisition of wider edu- cation. His practical attitude towards commercial and industrial progress has given his work in this school special value to the young people for whom it is partic- ularly designed, and his leadership is greatly appreciated. One of the leading figures in fraternal circles in Mil- ford, Mr. Moore is Past Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus, a member of the Benevolent and Protec- tive Order of Elks, and an associate member of the Grand Army of the Republic. He is a member of the Worcester County Bar Association and is influential in its advance. His religious affiliation is with St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, of Milford, and he is musical director of the choir of this church, also holds member- ship in the Holy Name Society of this church.
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