History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 190

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I > Part 190

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James Stone made hand-cards from 1849 to 1853.

Roswell Sprague built a store opposite the academy, and in it manufactured cards.

Reuben Merriam, in the same house, made hand and machine-cards, and built card-machines for many years, from 1821, George W. Morse and Henry A. Denny being at times his partners.

Capt. William Sprague & Sons were engaged in the same business ; also Brigham Barton, Bernard Upham, Samuel D. Watson, Aaron Morse, Gny S. Newton, Timothy Earle, Samnel Southgate, William H. Scott, Oliver Sylvester and others.

Joseph B. and Edward Sargent began the manu- facture of hand cards at the "Brick Factory," May 1, 1854. George H. Sargent came into the firm January 1, 1859, at which time the well-known Sar- gent Hardware Commission House was established, in New York City. They carried on the hand-card business in Leicester on a large scale, purchasing the interest of several other firms. About the year 1868 they removed the business to Worcester, and in 1883 sold to L. S. Watson & Co.

L. S. Watson & Co. are the principal hand-card manufacturers in the country. Like other interests in town, this enterprise has gradually grown from a very small beginning. Lory S. Watson came to Leicester from Spencer in 1842, and in company with Horace Waite bought one-half of Col. Joseph D. Sargent's machinery. Waite & Watson made hand- cards in the " Brick Factory " till 1845, when the co-partnership was dissolved, each partner taking one-half of the machines. At this time Mr. Watson had eight card-setting machines, which were dis- tributed in different factories, in which he hired power. The coarse cards were pricked at Mulberry Grove by one of Silas Earle's pricking-machines, and the teeth set by hand. About the year 1861 he bought ont Samuel Hurd and George Upham. In this year he built the present factory, and introduced for power Ericson's hot-air engine. In 1865 he took his son Edwin L. into partnership, under the title of L. S. Watson & Co. The factory was enlarged in 1866, and steam-power was introduced. In 1878 the building was again enlarged, and again in 1885. It is in size one hundred feet by forty feet, and of four stories, and there are also separate store-houses. In 1883 they bought the hand card machinery and stock of Sargent Hardware Co., and for nearly two years carried on a branch establishment in Worcester. At present they have one hundred machines, and manufacture about 14,000 dozen pairs of hand-cards annually. In 1873 the company began the manu- facture of wire heddles, which they have continued

as a separate department. The capacity of the wire beddle machines is 100,000 daily.

The history of Leicester is closely identified with the rise and development of card manufacture in this country. At first the entire process was hand- work. The holes were pricked by hand. The ma- chine for pricking was then invented, and for many years the setting of teeth by hand furnished employ- ment for women and children in their homes through- out this whole region. In this way they could, at one time, earn fourteen cents a day. This continued through the first quarter of the century, when the card-pricking and setting machine began to come in- to general use.

The use of power in the preparation of the leather is of much more recent date. As we have seen, Mr. John Woodcock invented the machine for splitting leather, something like seventy-five years ago, and the preparation of the leather by power has been coming into use within the last twenty-five years. Cloth also is now extensively used.

At first the machines were moved by hand. Dog- power was then introduced, then horse-power. Thirty years ago White & Denny's factory was the only establishment in which steam-power was employed. It is now used in all. Within two years the heavy machines for grinding cards after they are set, has been brought into general use in town. The busi- ness now requires larger facilities and capital than were necessary at an earlier period. There has been a change in the uumber and magnitude of the manu- facturing establishments. There are at present only five card-clothing factories in town. Formerly many men made hand-cards on a small scale. Now there is only one firm in town engaged in this branch of the business, and there are only three manufactories of cotton and woolen hand cards in the country. There were made in the year 1887 by all the card- clothing manufacturers in the country 975,742 square feet, valued at $1,219,677. Of these, 216,468 feet were made in Leicester, valued at $270,585.

WOOLEN MANUFACTURE .- Samuel Watson is en- titled to the position of pioneer woolen manufacturer in Leicester. During the War of 1812, or as Washburn states, "previons to 1814 he enlarged his clothier's shop," and began the weaving of woolen cloth upon looms moved by hand. The mill was located on the Auburn road near Main Street, on the privilege used by Richard Southgate for his saw-mill, the second erected in town. Alexander Parkman afterward used it as a fulling-mill, and was followed by Asahel Washburn. According to Washburn's his- tory Mr. Watson leased the mill to James Anderton, who had been bred a woolen manufacturer in Lan- cashire, England, who disposed of his interest to Thomas Bottomly, "who continued to carry on the business there until 1825." The building was burnt February 11, 1848.

Mr. Bottomly may truthfully be termed the found-

ECharlton

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er of Cherry Valley as a manufacturing village. When he came to Leicester there were, as nearly as can be ascertained, only ten houses in what is now the village. Most of the present residences were built in his lifetime, and it was by him that the three brick factories were erected. He was a native of Yorkshire, England. He bad worked in the factories as a child, but was afterward a shepherd on the moors, where he earned money with which to come to America. He came to this country in 1819, land- ing at Philadelphia, where he worked for a short time, and then started on foot for Rochdale, where was James Anderton, whom he had known in Eng- land. He found himself without money before the journey was completed, and always remembered with special gratitude the kindness of a family in Connec- ticut who entertained him over the Sabbath. He worked in Rochdale for a time, and came to Cherry Valley, and built what is now Olney's Mill in 1821, and was running it as late as 1824. The cloth was woven by hand in a building before used as a tan- nery, where the post-office now stands.

There was a saw-mill here at an early date owned by Benjamin Studley. About the year 1765 the privi- lege, with an acre of land, was bought by the " Forge Partners," who erected a building for some kind of iron-works. They, however, sold the property, which was called the "Forge Acre," to Matthew Watson, who had there a saw-mill till about the year 1821, when Thomas Bottomly built on it a wooleu-factory of brick. Such is the early history of this site, with a few varia- tions, as given by Governor Washburn and also by Joseph A. Denny, Esq., except that Washburn makes 1820 the date of building the mill, while Mr. Bottom- ly's son Wright places it 1821.

There have been various transfers of the property since that time. It passed from Thomas Bottomly to the Bottomly Manufacturing Company June 1, 1827, from them back to Thomas Bottomly November 10, 1846, from him to Samuel Bottomly March 10, 1849, from him to George Hodges July 6th of the same year, and December 21st one-half of Mr. Hodges' in- terest to Benjamin A. Farnum. June 20, 1855, Samuel L. Hodges came into possession of his father's inter- est, and October 9, 1857, that of Mr. Farnum, making him at this date the sole owner of the property. The factory was partially destroyed by fire September 7, 1864; up to Mr. Hodges' time broadcloths of superior grade were woven here. He introduced the manufac- ture of flannels. By his energy and public spirit Mr. Hodges did much to build up Cherry Valley.

In 1866, October 9th, the property was conveyed in trust to George H. Gilbert, Jr., George Hodges and Henry C. Weston, and by them to B. A. Faruum, June 7, 1867, Mr. and Mrs. Hodges giving them a quit-claim deed the same day. Frank C. Fiske came into possession Jannary 1, 1870. The mill was nearly destroyed by fire June 3, 1874. Albert T. B. Ames purchased it August 1, 1874, and at the same time made

a declaration of trust as to one-half of the property, held for George W. Olney, who with him formed the company of George W. Olney & Co. They rebuilt and opened the mill in the autumn of 1874, and con- tinued to run it till February, 1876. George W. Olney came into entire possession March 22, 1876, and reopened the mill June 14, 1876, since which time he has continued the manufacture of flannels. Two con- siderable additions have since been made to the main building-one in 1881, and the other in 1885. A store- house and other buildings and several tenement- houses have also been erected, and the general aspect of that part of the village much improved. The factory contains seven sets of cards, forty-six looms and four thousand two hundred and forty spindles. Mr. Olney is largely interested, also, in manufacturing in Lisbon, Maine.

In 1821 James Anderton began the manufacture of broadcloths and cassimeres in the south part of the town, in a small wooden mill, built about this time, by Thomas Scott, on the site of the present Lower Rochdale Factory. The Leicester Manufacturing Company was soon incorporated, and continued the same business, being afterward united with the Saxon Manufacturing Company, in Framingham, as the Saxon and Leicester Company. Mr. Joshua Clapp bought the property in 1829 and continued the same line of manufactures till 1840. For two or three years little was done in the mill. It then came into the hands of John Marland, of Andover, who sold it in 1845 to Barnes & Mansur, who added the manufac- ture of flannels. The building was burned in 1846. The same year Mr. Reuben S. Denny bought out Mr. Mansur's interest, and, with Mr. Barnes, built a brick factory on the same site, which was completed in 1847. Mr. Denny in 1850 bought out Mr. Barnes. This factory was burned in 1851, and rebuilt in 1852. Meantime, about the year 1844, a wooden building had been erected on the site of the present Upper Factory, where the manufacture of carpets was carried on for a year with indifferent success. This building Mr. Denny bought while erecting his new factory, and manufactured white flannels. It was burned in 1854, and the present brick building took its place.

In 1856 Ebenezer Dale, representing the firm of Johnson, Sewall & Co., of Boston, came into possession of both factories and a large property, real and per- sonal, connected with them. In the two mills are thirteen sets of machinery. Since 1859, first as the Clappville Mills, then as the Rochdale Mills, they have manufactured flannels and ladies' dress goods, averaging for the last twenty years from one to one and a half million yards. New and improved ma- chinery has within a few years taken the place of the old. E. G. Carlton has for thirty years been the agent and manager, and the reputation of the products of the Rochdale Mills is exceeded by few, if any, manu- facturing establishments in the country.

In 1838 Amos S. Earle and Billings Mann, as the

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firm of Earle & Mann, began the manufacture of sat- inets in the building near the corner of Mannville and Earle Streets, at Mannville, in which Earle & Bros. had made card-machines and Amos S. Earle had afterward made hand-cards. Mr. Mann removed from town in 1844. Nathan Daniels became Mr. Earle's partner, and the firm of Earle & Daniels built forty feet of the present mill. Mr. Daniels died and the estate being solvent, it was bought by a syndi- cate of creditors.

Meantime Mr. Mann had been engaged in the same business in Holden with Albert Marshall. In 1853 Mann & Marshall purchased the property, en- larged the mill and continued the manufacture of satinets twenty-two years. They were heavy losers in the Boston fire in 1875, and were obliged soon after to suspend business. George and Billings Mann were associated with them for about one year. In 1879 George and Billings Mann and John P. Stephen, their brother-in-law, began business. They have en- larged and improved the plant, built cottages for the operatives and conducted a prosperous business.

Cherry Valley Woolen- Mills .- In 1836 Thos. Bottomly laid the foundations of the factory now run by the Cherry Valley Woolen-Mills on the privilege early occupied by Nathan Sargent as a grist-mill. In 1837 he began there the manufacture of broad-cloths. He sold to Effingham L. Capron in 1845.

In 1859 the mill was owned by E. D. Thayer and used by Mowry Lapham and James A. Smith, under the firm-name of Lapham & Smith, until 1862, when Mr. Smith sold to Mr. Lapham and removed to Rhode Island.

In 1863 the building was destroyed by fire, and the privilege remained vacant till 1865, when George N. and James A. Smith bought it and built a six-set mill for the manufacture of faney ca-simeres. In 1868 George N. Smith sold his share to James A. In 1876 the factory was nearly destroyed by the " Flood." Mr. Smith rebuilt in 1878 and leased to Eli Collier and A. E. Smith. Collier & Smith dissolved in 1879, and A. E. Smith continued the business until 1887, when the mill was leased to the present "Cherry Valley Woolen-Mills" Company. The property was sold to F. T. Blackmer, Esq., of Worcester, in 1881, and is now owned by his heirs. This mill now manufactures ladies' dress and skirt goods.

Kettle Brook, which furnishes the water-power for all the factories in Mannville, Lakeside, Cherry Val- ley, Valley Falls and Jamesville, and which has repeat- edly, in time of fre-hets, been the source of serious ap- prehension through the valley, was originally only a little stream winding in picturesque beauty through meadows and forests, and leaping down the rocks through narrow defiles. Says one who lived by it " When I was a little girl, Kettle Brook was a small stream of water, that I have waded across many times."

Collier's Mill .- About the year 1835 L. G. Dickin-

son built the embankment north of Main Street, and the damn south of the road, where Collier's mill stands. To this place Mr. Dickinson moved his saw-mill, which formerly was located where A. W. Darling & Co.'s mill now is. This mill of Mr. Dickinson was used as a saw-mill until 1844, when it was converted into a satinet factory. The business was carried on by Jonathan Earle. In the same building was the cabinet shop of Silas A. Morse. It was burned to the ground March 24, 1848, but afterwards rebuilt by Mr. Dickinson, of lumber from an old church in Charlton. It was leased to Baker & Bellows October 1, 1848. October 1, 1853, it was leased to Eli Collier. It was burned January 5, 1866, but rebuilt the next summer from the lumber of the Lower Tophet ma- chine-shop and was leased to Collier. April 8, 1881, it was sold to Collier & Butler. September 1, 1888, Butler sold out to Collier. It has been a satinet-mill since it was first changed from a saw mill.

Chapel Mill .- In the year 1836 or '37 John Waite bought land of Samuel Waite, built a dam and canal and erected a mill where the Chapel Mill now stands, on Chapel Street, a few rods north of Main Street. Here he made churns. It was afterwards a shuttle- shop. It was used later, about 1844, by H. G. Hen- shaw for drawing wire. It was here that Richard Sugden, whose extensive wire business is one of the important factors in the wealth of Spencer, first drew wire in this country; both he and Mr. Myrick worked for Mr. Ilenshaw. In 1849 Myrick and Sugden bought the machinery of Mr. Henshaw and formed a partnership under the name of Henshaw, Myrick & Sugden, of Spencer. The partnership was dissolved in 1854.

The Chapel Mill property was afterward owned by N. R. Parkherst, and was sold by him to L. G. Dick- inson, October, 1854. It has been occupied by John Q. Adams, who used it for a shoddy-mill, and by Bottomly & Fay, who made satinets there.

James Fay was in business there when it was burned, March 7, 1865. The property was bought by Samuel Chism, of Newton, and he rebuilt from the lumber of the old Baptist Church in Greenville, thus giving to the mill the name of Chapel Mill. It was leased to H. G. Kitredge, who made satinets there for two years, then to George A. Kimball and I. R. Bar- bour, who occupied it until sold to William N. Pierce, April 18, 1871. It was then leased to James A. Smith & Co., who made satinets there until March 6, 1879. May 5, 1879, it was leased to Collier & Butler for three years and nine months, when A. E. Smith bought the property and used it as a satinet-mill until May I, 1887. George N. Smith then leased it and made satinets until June 15, 1887, when it was burned. Collier & Butler bought the property, re- built the mill aud leased it to George N. Smith, who now occupies it.

There are in 1889 ten woolen-mills in the town of Leicester, and nine firms engaged in the manufacture

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of woolen cloth. The average annual value of the products of these mills is about $1,286,000.

A. W. Darling &' Co .- In 1827 Thomas Bottomly built a dam upon Kettle Brook, on Chapel Street, about half a mile from the corner of Main Street. The pond formed thereby was considered a reservoir for the privileges below until 1847, when the present Bottomly Mill was erected by Thomas Bottomly. Previous to this, about 1833 or 1834, L. G. Dickenson erected a saw-mill on the same privilege as the pres- ent mill. In 1845, Mr. Bottomly opened a brick-yard on this spot, and made the brick of which, in 1847, he began the present Bottomly Mill. About the same year he caused the Waite meadow to be over- flowed; this was the beginning of the Waite reservoir; the property afterwards came into the hands of Booth Bottomly.

In 1874 E. D. Thayer bought the property of the trustees of the Bottomly estate, and has owned it ever since.

Booth Bottomly began to manufacture here in 1855 or 1856, and continued until his death in 1868. Other firms who have occupied the mill are R. L. Hawes & Co., George Kimball & Co., for a short time ; E. D. Thayer, for twenty years, Bramley Bottomly being for some years associated with him. After 1876 or 1877 the Hopeville Company used the mill for a few years, then E. D. Thayer, Jr., from 1884 to 1886, when the firm of A. W. Darling & Co. assumed the business. It is a four-set satinet-mill.

The Greenville Woolen-Factory was first built in 1871 by A. W. & J. D. Clark. It was of wood, fifty feet square, and three stories high, with a brick picker-house adjoining. The buildings were rented to Joseph Peel, of Spencer, who began the manufac- ture of woolen goods in the winter of 1872, and con- tinued until January, 1877; since that time the business has been carried on by J. D. Clark. The mill was enlarged in 1880.

The Lakeside Manufacturing Co .- In 1847, D. Waldo Kent put up a saw-mill at Lakeside. In 1853 he built his planing-mill and box-factory. In this building, in 1857, he set up the first circular saw-mill introduced into this part of the State. In 1866 he began the manufacture of shoddy, and, in 1880, of satinets. The present factory was erected in 1883. Since April, 1885, it has been running night and day. The surroundings of the factory have been much improved, and around it has sprung up a neat little village. The business of the Lakeside Manufactur- ing Company is carried on by P. G. & Daniel Kent. The factory was first lighted by electricity in July, 1887. In 1885 they bought the Jamesville Mills, iu Worcester, and, with the two mills, they are said to be the largest manufacturers of satinets in the country.

The Leicester Wire Company had its origin in 1871. At this time Mr. Cyrus D. Howard, an experienced workman, set up machines and began the drawing of

wire for cards in the building which had been used by successive firms as a card manufactory, and later as a box shop. Thomas Shaw was afterward associated with him for a short time as the firm of Cyrus D. Howard & Co. David Bemis went into company with Howard in 1876, as the firm of Howard & Bemis. In 1880 J. Bradford Sargent joined the firm, which became Howard, Bemis & Co. Mr. Howard retired in 1884, and the Leicester Wire Company was organized. Harry E. Sargent came into the firm in 1885, and Mr. Bemis retired. Of this firm H. E. Sar- gent is president, and J. B. Sargent treasurer, The new buildings were erected in 1881, and engine-house and boiler in 1883. The machinery is principally employed in drawing card, reed and stone wire.

The Lakeside Woolen Mills put in a dynamo and lighted their factory by electricity in July, 1887. Siuce that time dynamos have been placed in the card factories of J. & J. Murdock, and Decker, Bonitz & Co. On December 19, 1887, an electric plant was estab- lished at the Leicester Wire Company's works, by which the other card factories are lighted, also the Leicester Hotel, the stores in the centre, and several private houses.

Charles W. Warren began the making of shoe-count- ers in the house on the southwest corner of Main and Rawson Streets about the year 1852, then moved to the house on the lot between the bank and the post- office about the year 1854, there manufacturing in- soles. The buildings were burnt in 1862. In 1867 he built his house and factory on Pleasant Street. The factory has been several times enlarged, and is devoted to the manufacture of shoe-heels, employing about forty persons.

Boots and Shoes .- The only shoe manufactory in town is that of Horace & Warren Smith, on Mt. Pleasant, begun in 1865. Among those who at dif- ferent times have carried on the boot and shoe business are Amasa Watson, Delphus Washburn, Baldwin Wat- son, Cheney Hatch, Wm. F. Holman.

About the year 1849 several gentlemen formed a company for the manufacture of boots, having in mind the increase of business in town. The work was at first carried on in the house on Market Street in which is Wheeler's meat market, where there was horse-power. After a few years it was removed to Main Street, where now stands the house of E. D. Waite. On the 25th of September, 1860, the building was burnt. The company had met with heavy losses in consequence of the failures of that period, and after the fire the business was abandoned.

Leather .- The tanning and currying of leather appears to have been a prominent industry in former times. Elijah Warren had a tannery on the main road, half a mile from the Spencer line, at a very early date. He was succeeded by his son, Joseph. Henry E. Warreu afterward owned it, and had also a tan-house north of Main Street, near the Spencer line. It was burned in 1848. John Lynde, the early settler,

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also had a tannery in the north part of the town. Jonathan Warren had a tannery on Pine Street, two miles from the village, and was succeeded by his sons Jonathan and Elijah. It was burned in 1825. Lieut. Jonas Stone built a tannery at the foot of Strawberry Hill in 1790, where work was continued by different persons for thirty or forty years,-among them Thaddeus Upham, and E. H. & George Bowen. Mr. Studley had a tannery in Cherry Valley, where the post-office now stands. Amasa Warren and Horace and Baldwin Watson were tanners in the west part of the town.

Leander Warren, when a young man, began the currying business near the house of his father, Joseph Warren. In 1845 he bought the place south of the Centre School-house, where he carried on the business till his death, in 1862, when he was succeeded by John N. Grout. Since Mr. Grout's time there has been ro currying done in town, except in connection with Murdock's Card Manufactory.

A. Hankey & Co., Manufacturers of Machine Knives. -In 1798 Caleb Wall bought land of the Green family and built above the present works of A. Hankey & Co. a blacksmith shop, where he made scythes, carry- ing on a large business. In 1830 Thomas Wall and Nathan Harkness built on the present site of the " Lower Shop," and carried on the business three or four years, and were followed by Cadsey, Brown & Draper.

In 1848 Hankey, Stiles & Co. purchased the prop- erty and remodeled it for the manufacture of machine- knives. The firm was Anthony Hankey, Francis Stiles and H. C. Bishop. About 1851 Mr. Hankey went into the dredging business in Boston, where he had invented a dredging-machine. The business in Greenville was carried on by Stiles & Co. (F. Stiles and F. W. Taylor) until a few years later, when Mr. Hankey returned and managed the business under the firm-name of Stiles & Co. This partnership was dissolved July 14, 1866, and in October of the same year Stiles sold his entire interest to A. Hankey & Co. J. E. Jones was admitted as a partner, but he only remained a short time. The firm was A. Hankey and George A. Corser. In February, 1877, Hankey bought out Corser, and continued the business alone until March, 1881, when J. X. Rogers was admitted to the partnership under the old firm-name of A. Hankey & Co., which continues to this date.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. I, Part 190

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1576

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1576