USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts, Vol. III > Part 53
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Captain Safford is a member of Epsilon Chapter, Theta Chi fraternity, and president of the chapter in 1917; member of "Skull," the senior society of "Wor- cester Tech," and treasurer of the society in 1917; and member of the Army and Navy Club.
He married, in Bordeaux, France, Odette Cecile Riviere, daughter of Lucien and Louise Riviere. Captain and Mrs. Safford are the parents of a daughter, Simone Cecile, born June 19, 1921.
CAPTAIN ELBERT MONROE CROCKETT- In the business world of Milford, Massachusetts, Cap- tain Crockett is a noteworthy figure, but his prominence in this connection is only one phase of a well rounded life, devoted to the welfare and progress of the day, for in many branches of human endeavor Captain Crockett holds a leading position. His military record is one of honor and distinction, his public services are such as the people of his residence town look upon with pride, and he is very widely affiliated with fraternal advance. Coming of an old Massachusetts family distinguished in every generation by men prominent in the public service, Mr. Crockett is a son of Gustavious and Laura (Mun- yon) Crockett, his father a leading figure in the business and public life of Medway, Massachusetts, for the past twenty years at the head of a prosperous painting and contracting business and for many years chairman of the Medway Republican Committee.
Elbert M. Crockett was born at Northbridge, Massa- chusetts, August 14, 1871. His education comprised the practical course of the local public schools of Medway, and as a young man he became associated with his father in the work of a painting contractor. Continu- ing with his father for a number of years, he later spent a few years with the Draper Manufacturing Company of Hopedale, Massachusetts, then in 1901 located in Mil- ford and established his present business in the line
of contract painting. Highly skilled himself, Mr. Crockett employs only workmen of the highest class, and constantly new evidences of his standing in his trade are seen in the town of Milford and vicinity.
Captain Crockett's war record began with his enlist-' ment in the 6th Regiment, Massachusetts National Guard, on January 18, 1892, and he served with this body until December 8, 1903. Reënlisting on that date, he has been identified with the National Guard continuously since, and from time to time has received the promotions won by his consistent and devoted service. When the United States entered the World War his unit of the National Guard was called into the Federal service, and with the rank of captain, he went with Company D, 101st Supply Train, to France. There he served for nineteen months on various of the most important fronts as follows : St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne, Montedidier Nayon, and at the Toul sector. He was returned to the United States with his company and still retains his rank. Since his return to the interests of civilian life Captain Crockett has been brought forward in public service in a way which well appraises his popularity among the people. In 1921 he was elected to the Massachusetts State House of Representatives, and his record during his first year of service as a legislator was such that he was elected again in 1922, and in 1923 was again returned to the legislative halls of the State. His activity at the Cap- itol has included much important committee work, and large affairs have been placed in his hands. He is now a member of the Board of Public Safety of Massachu- setts, and also acts as clerk on military affairs. Captain Crockett has given to his public service the same in- telligent and devoted effort which has made his business career a success and which won him distinction in his military activities. In local circles he is well known as the Chief of the Milford Fire Department, and he is an influential member of the Milford Chamber of Com- merce.
Fraternally he is largely prominent, holding member- ship in Montgomery Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; Lebanon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; the Knights Templar, the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge No. 628, in which he holds the office of Esteemed Lecturing Knight; the Foresters of America; and the Knights of Pythias, of which last-named order he is Past Grand Departmental Patriarch. He is also a noted official in the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, having served as Past Noble Grand of his lodge; is now Past District Deputy of the order. He is a leading member and was first commander of John Powers Post, American Legion, of Milford. In such a life as that of Captain Crockett, the younger men of the present generation may well find an example to follow. Sincere, high minded, and devoted to his duty as it is presented to him in any phase of life, Captain Crockett is thoroughly representative of the best type of American citizenship.
Captain Crockett married, on June 2, 1903, at Woon- socket, Rhode Island, Marie R. Force, daughter of Hattie and Emmanus Force. Mr. and Mrs. Crockett are the parents of four children: Earl G., Blanch, Laura, and Elbert.
JAMES H. P. DYER-Among the successful attor- neys at law in the city of Leominster, Massachusetts, is
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Mr. Dyer, whose ability was recognized by Mayor Saw- telle and resulted in his appointment to the office of City Solicitor. He has administered the functions pertain- ing to this public office and carried on his private prac- tice at the same time, and is an esteemed citizen of Leominster.
James H. P. Dyer is a son of Bernard and Catherine (Power) Dyer. The mother, who was born at Water- ford, Ireland, is living, but the father died October 20, 1914. He was a native of Riverstown, Ireland, and after coming to this country served with the United States Marines as a private during the Civil War. Twice wounded in action, he was made a prisoner and taken to Libby Prison on one occasion, though he escaped later. He had been a member of Stevens Post, No. 54, Grand Army of the Republic, of Leominster. Mr. Dyer was born March 28, 1875, at Leominster, where he completed the high school course and then studied law at Boston University, from which he was graduated with the class of 1896. For one year following his grad- uation he remained in the law office of Norcross, Baker & Parker, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and was ad- mitted to the Worcester County bar, beginning the practice of law in Leominster. He has continuously followed his profession in this city, with offices in the Nickerson Block.
He is a' member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus; also of the Leo- minster Club, Leominster Country Club, Monoosnock Country Club, and the Bass Point Club. His political career began with the appointment on the Commission to Apportion the Expense of Suffolk County, which was made by Governor Foss, serving with the late Judge Bampus and ex-Mayor Hayes, of Springfield. In 1915 he was appointed by the Supreme Court to apportion the expenses of the Metropolitan Park District, with Judge Robert O. Harris and ex-District Attorney George S. Taft. He was nominated for the office of Town Coun- sel for Leominster in 1912, and appointed City Solicitor in 1916. In religion he is a Roman Catholic and mem- ber of St. Leo Roman Catholic Church of Leominster.
Mr. Dyer was married, on October 2, 1902, to Alice J. Chadwick, who was born in Leominster.
HIRAM L. REYNOLDS-In the industrial world of Saundersville, Massachusetts, Hiram L. Reynolds holds a prominent position as agent in charge of the Saunders Cotton Mill of this town, also having over- sight of the Whitinsville Cotton Mill at Whitinsville, Massachusetts. He has spent his lifetime in the textile industry, preparing for his work in one of the leading technical schools of New England, and is counted among the successful and influential executives of Southern Worcester County. He is a son of John Q. Reynolds, who was born in Milford, Massachusetts, and was a veteran of the Civil War, having served in that struggle for a period of three years. John Q. Reynolds was by occupation a carpenter. He was a man of prominence in the community of Whitinsville, of which he was a resident for many years. He mar- ried Laura A. Leland a native of Douglass, Massa- chusetts.
Hiram L. Reynolds was born in Whitinsville, Massa- chusetts, July 28, 1875. Beginning his education in the
local public schools, he also attended Whitinsville High School, and determining upon the textile industry as the field of his business endeavor, he entered the Lowell Textile School of Lowell, Massachusetts, where he gained a comprehensive and practical preparation for his work, graduating in 1900. Upon the completion of his education Mr. Reynolds entered the Linwood Mill in Whitinsville, where he was employed for three years, after which he accepted a position as foreman in the Merrimack Mill of Lowell, Massachusetts, and was active in that connection for a period of ten years. Re- turning to Worcester County in October, 1906, Mr. Reynolds took up the duties of agent for the Saunders Cotton Mills at Saundersville, the responsibilities of the Whitinsville Cotton Mill also being placed in his charge as superintendent. He has carried forward this double interest efficiently and successfully since, and his ability as an executive has placed him among the really im- portant men of Southern Worcester County. He is a' member of the Textile Club of Boston; the Southern New England Textile Club, and is president of the Blackstone Valley Mills Association. Fraternally he is identified with all the Masonic bodies, both York and Scottish Rite, also the Mystic Shrine. In the civic life of the town of Grafton he has been broadly interested for a number of years serving as Selectman during the years 19II, 1912, and 1913 and he is a trustee of the Grafton Savings Bank, also a director of the Grafton Cooperative Bank. He is affiliated with the Worcester Automobile Club.
Mr. Reynolds married Alice C. Adams, who was born in Maine, and is a daughter of Alfred E. and Emerzette Adams. The father was born in Wales, Massachusetts, and the mother in Danielson, Connecticut. Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds are the parents of one child, Emma C., who was born in Saundersville, Massachusetts, Septem- ber 19, 1907.
DAVID J. MAHONY-Prominent in Worcester County, Massachusetts, as owner and manager of the Sterling Inn, of Sterling, David J. Mahony is also widely known among the many travellers and motor tourists who stop at this village and find their entertainment at the inn a pleasant memory.
David J. Mahony was born at Randolph, in September, 1871. Gaining a practical preparation for his life work at the public and high schools of the community, Mr. Mahony became interested in hotel activities as a young man, and in 1913 purchased the Sterling Inn. His genial spirit and cordial manner have won for him countless friends in the course of the subsequent years, all who come and go finding the atmosphere of the house home- like and attractive, and its host a man of broad mind and friendly attitude. The success of the house has placed it among the really noteworthy hostelries of this section, and its fame is widely known. In local affairs Mr. Mahony takes a deep interest, but has never par- ticipated as a leader in public life, but during the World War served as a member of the Massachusetts National Guard in a Sterling company. Fraternally he is identi- fied with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of Winthrop, Massachusetts, and the Foresters of Amer- ica. His religious affiliation is with the Roman Cath- olic church.
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David J. Mahony married Anna T. Boyce. Mr. and Mrs. Mahony are the parents of five children : William J., born in July, 1893; Ralph G., born in February, 1896; Mildred L., born in October, 1899; Helene, born in De- cember, 1902; and Pauline, born December 25, 1908.
ALFRED JOSEPH OLIVER-As a skillful dental surgeon, Dr. Alfred Joseph Oliver has been engaged in practice in the town of Milford during the greater part of his professional career. He is one of the many native born sons of that town who have contributed to the place of their birth the energy and ability of their mature years.
Victor E. Oliver, father of Dr. Oliver, a sculptor, was born in Italy, and served in the Italian Army for five years. He came to this country and settled first in Boston, where, among other pieces of work, he carved the eagle which is now on South Station in that city. Later he removed to Milford, Massachusetts, with his wife, Emma (Cenedella) Oliver, and there, October 23, 1898, Dr. Alfred Joseph Oliver was born.
Dr. Oliver attended the primary, grammar and high schools of Milford, and then completed his professional training in Tufts College, in Middlesex County Massa- chusetts. He specialized in surgery in Boston and then removed to Milford. where he has since been continu- ously engaged in attending to the dental needs of a large patronage. He is known as a skillful dental surgeon, and has in Milford many personal friends who esteem him, not only as a successful man in his profession, but also as a public-spirited citizen and a loyal friend. Dur- ing the World War he enlisted for service in the Medical Corps and served until 1918, when he received his honorable discharge. He is a member of the Massachu- setts Dental Society. Fraternally he is affiliated with Valencia Post, Knights of Columbus; and the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
THOMAS J. McNAMARA, widely known in sev- eral States as a business man and a land owner, is a member of one of the oldest families of Clinton, Massa- chusetts. He was born at the family residence in that city, November 19, 1870, son of Thomas and Ann (Coyne) McNamara, and on both his father's and his mother's side comes from long established Massachu- setts stock.
Mr. McNamara received his education in the public schools of Massachusetts. He was graduated from the Clinton High School at a very early age, and immedi- ately thereafter entered the field of business as an em- ployee of the Lancaster Mills, where he began at the bottom of the ladder, cutting quills and working on bobbins. This work was agreeable to him because he had a great desire to master the technical details of production. For several years he devoted himself to a study of factory methods, and he might in the end have become a manufacturer of textiles on his own account if another and different kind of a career had not attracted him. He saw the need of quick lunch service in a town of workers whose hours did not per- mit them to visit restaurants for a noon day meal. Understanding this need from his own experience as a factory worker and having some idle capital, he entered the lunch cart business, setting up two lunch carts
equipped with heating devices that would enable him to serve properly cooked and heated food to all comers. Experiments of this sort had previously been tried at Clinton, but the McNamara carts were larger and more efficiently equipped than any of their predecessors, and their success was immediate and substantial. Although Mr. McNamara was the youngest man in the lunch business, his organizing ability and financial acumen enabled him to maintain his initial success. He knew the needs of the class to which he catered and by giving his personal attention to all the details of purchasing supplies, supervising the preparation of the food, and the service he built up a steady and prosperous business and one that was greatly appreciated by his customers; in this Mr. McNamara laid the cornerstone of his fortunes. From 1894 to 1899, he devoted his entire time and attention to it, and during those years his good judgment never failed it.
In 1899, being well and favorably known throughout Clinton and the surrounding country and having the good will of the community, Mr. McNamara entered the real estate business. He began in a small way, open- ing an office in his own home, and although his business increased very rapidly, he continued to carry it on there for several years. By 1904, when his operations had assumed large proportions, a partnership was effected between Mr. McNamara and John B. Coughlin of Clin- ton, and the new firm established a general office for the transaction of business in the Daggett Building, where they have been located ever since. In addition to real estate, the firm deals in all kinds of insurance, and carries on an extensive underwriting business in Western Massachusetts. Through natural ability and long prac- tice in the real estate business Mr. McNamara has become very expert as an appraiser of land, and this has enabled him to speculate successfully in various parts of the country. His present holdings include tracts in New York, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, in addition to the valuable property he owns in Massachusetts. He is owner and proprietor of the Crossman Hotel at Clinton, and takes great interest in the management of this enterprise, the hotel business hav- ing always made a strong appeal to him. He believes that nothing advertises a city so completely as its hotels, and in his opinion, the best hospitality a town can offer is none too good for those whose business or pleasure impels them to pay the community a visit. In line with this belief, Mr. McNamara takes an active part in move- ments designed to attract motor tourists and others, to this part of Massachusetts, and for many years has been untiring in his advocacy of better highways.
Having lived in Clinton all his life and never having felt the necessity of leaving home to look for success in unfamiliar surroundings, Mr. McNamara is a firm believer in the community of which he is a part. He has often helped to discover opportunities for other people, and assisted them to achieve success there from modest beginnings, just as he had found a way best adapted to himself. In his opinion, it is easier to ex- pand an organization in order to take care of an increased volume of business than it is to curtail one's premises and staff when times are dull. Gifted with business imagination, and never afraid to back up his judgment by investment, he yet has an abiding faith in the slow
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and steady growth of good enterprises. He believes that the most successful business is the one that is best integrated, with all its branches working in harmony. A business of this description cannot be created off- hand; it is the outcome of an idea, and the more vital and wholesome the idea, the better the business. It is im- possible to over-estimate the interest Mr. McNamara takes in all local affairs for the betterment of Clinton. He is justly recognized as one of the foremost citizens of the town. In religious faith Mr. McNamara is a Catholic. He belongs to St. John's Church, and takes an active part in the work of the various parish organ- izations. He holds membership in the United Com- mercial Travelers Association, but except for this he is not affiliated with any club or fraternal organization.
On January 4, 1918, he married Bridget G. Powers, daughter of John and Ann (Flanigan) Powers. Mr. and Mrs. McNamara have no children.
CLEVELAND JOSEPH CRAHAN has spent practically his entire life in advertising, newspaper pro- motion, and publishing enterprises, having since 1913 been publisher of "The Catholic Messenger," the only Catholic paper in Central Massachusetts. He is a well- known figure in the publishing world, and has fairly won the high reputation he enjoys. He is a son of Charles Joseph and Janie A. (Ball) Crahan, his father a tobacco and cigar dealer of St. Louis, Missouri.
Cleveland Joseph Crahan was born in St. Louis, Missouri, March 23, 1866, and there the first eighteen years of his life were spent. He was educated in the parochial school of the parish of St. Rose of Lima, and St. Louis High School, finishing with the class of 1884. The same year he began his newspaper work, going to Little Rock, Arkansas, where his first venture in journal- ism was made in the circulation department of the Little Rock "Times." Nearly four decades have since elapsed and he is still in practically the same field of activity. His experience has been wide and varied, and he has had his full share of the successes and failures that attend the publishing business, but he can now write "success" in large letters and feel that his enterprise is on the solid rock of prosperity. His principal connec- tions have been with the Publishing Service Circulation Company of New York City, a newspaper circulation promoter, of which he was manager; the De Luxe Circulation Company, a similar enterprise which he founded and operated in Canada during 1911-12; and the Messenger Printing and Publishing Company of Wor- cester, Massachusetts, founded in 1913, of which he is the head.
In 1913 he began publishing "The Catholic Messen- ger," the only Catholic paper in Central Massachusetts, and the following year began the publishing of "Land- lord and Tenant." He was the promoter of "bus" line advertising, and has all his life been a man of initiative and progress. The Messenger Printing and Publishing Company was established in 1887, Mr. Crahan becom- ing its manager in 1913. The plant of the company is at No. 17 Federal Street, Worcester and is fully equipped for job printing and all kinds of commercial work.
Mr. Crahan is a member of Blessed Sacrament Church of Worcester; is a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Past Lecturer of that order; member of the Benev-
olent and Protective Order of Elks; is fond of hunting big game in the North Woods, and thoroughly enjoys a day's sport with rod and reel.
Mr. Crahan married, in Indianapolis, Indiana, Louise Elizabeth Fitzsimmons, born in Providence, Rhode Island, daughter of Thomas Francis and Catherine Ann (Reilly) Fitzsimmons, her father a retired hardware dealer ; her mother died in 1912. Mr. and Mrs. Crahan are the parents of two children: Cleveland Joseph and Helen Louise.
MILTON A. CREED-A long and honored life, filled with usefulness in the public service as well as along certain lines of private enterprise-this was the record of Milton A. Creed, whose death on March 25, 1918, removed from the town of Gardner, Massachu- setts, a man of sterling integrity and progressive spirit, such a man as the world can ill afford to spare. Mr. Creed was a son of Moses and Belinda (Smith) Creed, his father a native of Westminster, Massachusetts, and his mother a native of North Leominster, Massachusetts, both highly esteemed residents of this section.
Milton A. Creed was born in North Leominster, Massachusetts, April 30, 1847. His education was begun in the public schools of Westminster and continued at the Westminster Academy. He subsequently had the advantage of a course at Bryant & Stratton's Business College in Boston, and his first experience in the busi- ness world was in the capacity of clerk to the super- intendent of the Boston & Maine Railway at their Wor- cester offices. He was active in this connection until coming to Gardner in the early eighties, when he became a' member of the office force of Heywood Brothers & Company. For a number of years he was a valued assistant in the office and continued with this concern until almost a year prior to his election to the public service of Gardner in the office of Town Clerk. Bring- ing to the duties and responsibilities of his work in this connection long experience and large ability, Mr. Creed did much constructive work for the people of his sub- sequent election as Tax Collector gave added benefit to the town administration. Fair minded and always devoted to the highest conception of duty, his work in the public service has more than that of a mere office holder, and his record stands not only in the annals of the town but in the memory of the people as one of honor and distinction. Following his service as Tax Collector, Mr. Creed became a partner in the manufac- turing enterprise known under the firm name of the Simplex Time Recorder Company, a nationally and, indeed, an internationally noted concern, whose title explains the nature of its product. Mr. Creed held a large interest in this industry until within two or three years of his death, when he disposed of his holdings on account of ill health. The last few years of his life were years of more or less suffering borne in a beautiful spirit, and to those who were able occasionally to spend a few hours with him, they are remembered as some- thing to be cherished among the sacred things of life.
Mr. Creed married, on June 6, 1888, Emma F. Mayo, daughter of William and Maria (Goddard) Mayo, both natives of Orange, Massachusetts, where they were reared and married. After their marriage they settled in Westminster, Massachusetts, where Mr. Mayo was for
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many years a leader in civic affairs and also was prom- inent in the world of finance. He held seven important public offices in the town at different times, and later for a number of years was cashier of the Westminster Na- tional Bank. Born February 20, 1817, he died Septem- ber 24, 19II, nearly ninety-five years of age. The mother died in 1901, at the age of eighty-three years. Mrs. Creed survives her husband, and is comforted in the sorrow of her widowhood by the thought that she was able to minister to her husband during the latter years of his life, and until he passed away cared for him with the greatest tenderness.
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