History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 55

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II > Part 55

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Benedict .- Dr. William M. and William G., his son, were once prominent men. This name is also extinct here.

Kendall .- Thomas Kendall, born here, was one of the earliest, if not the first, to make thermometers in | the country. He removed to New York State, where he died in 1831.

Farnsworth .- General Joseph was a prominent busi- ness man in old times. Simon was a wealthy citizen. once president of the bank. His son Simon is post- master at Armory Village ..

Goodell .- Asa Goodell was one of the first broad- cloth manufacturers of this region. Orra was also ·an early hosiery manufacturer and also made some broadcloth.

Holman .- Colonel Jonathan, of the Sutton Regi- ment in the Revolution, lies buried at West Millbury. His old homestead is still standing in the same vil- lage. A grandson, E. M. Holman, is living at Web- ster, Mass.

Jacobs .- Lieutenant John was fifth John from John born in England in 1079. He, with Elisha, were botlı at one time in business to considerable extent.

Wood .- Captain Amasa came here in 1811 and be- gan the manufacture of shoes. The business ex- tended to Vermont, the South and to California, and

is still carried on in the latter State by the sons- William H., Samuel A. and Charles V.

Waters .- Asa Waters the 1st aud his brother An- drus were born in what is now West Millbury. Other prominent members of this family have been Horace and Jonathan E. Elder Samuel is spoken of else- where. Elijah Waters, of West Millbury, left ten thousand dollars for religious purposes.

Trask .- Among these were Captain Samuel, who was in the Revolution. Aaron was an active busi- ness man in his day. None of the name are to be found here at present.

Blanchard .- (For sketch see page 975.)

Gale .- Leonard D. Gale, born in what is now Mill- bury, was one of the real inventors of the electric telegraph. Dr. Jackson and Prof. Henry are also to be credited with a large share of the honor connected with it. Prof. Morse never would have succeeded as he did withont the aid of Prot. Gale, as he himself admitted. Morse brought it out, and that is about all he did do, except inventing the dash and dot alphabet.

Andrews .- This family was early identified with town affairs. Asa, the elder, was a small manufac- turer. His son, Dr. Asa, is mentioned elsewhere.

Griggs .- Capt. Joseph was one of the earliest bnsi- ness men ; prominently concerned in religious affairs also. He was born in Sutton, November 3, 1786; died in Worcester, December 6, 1852. The name is extinct in this town.

Barton .- This was one of the old families. Rufus Barton's old homestead is still left. Captain Reuben Barton, Jr., was an early town officer. Hon. George S. Barton, of Worcester, came from this family.

Dwinell .- This was another of the early families. Among them were Solomon, Seneca, Simeon and Deacon Leonard-all worthy citizens.

Longley .- Of this family may be mentioned old Dr. Longley, Landlord Longley and 'Squire Nym- phas-all men of the old school.

Harris .- Ithran was a soldier in 1812 and a shoe manufacturer in a small way. Harry W. was a prominent agriculturist; George carried on a brick- yard formerly, which is now operated by A. J. Harris.

March. - An early and much-respected family. Prominent among them were Samuel, Dr. Alden and Deacon Tyrus. Deacon David T. is still living.

Small .- The first Small was Stephen, of colonial fame; Capt. Samuel was in the Revolution; Aaron was a farmer, as was also Samnel A., who at his death owned the largest and best farm in town.

Gleason .- This family is extinct. Abijah was once one of our prominent men.

Flagg .- Benj. Flagg was one of our largest manu- facturers; was in the Legislature, and was highly respected. Col. Geo. A., his son, is one of the leading men in town.

Harrington .- Thomas J. was another old manufac-

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turer, who became wealthy, and died in 1888. Rus- sell, John E. and David B. have all been identified with the prosperity of the town.

Lovill .- Of this family may be mentioned Elias, Elias, Jr., Ezra, Russell, Wm. A. Their descendants are still among us.

Chase .- Paul C. Chase was once prominent. G. F. Chase, one of our selectmen, is a contractor.

Stowe .- Ithamar Stowe came from Grafton, and be- came one of the useful citizens of the town, was for a while a business man, but later retired to his farm, which is now occupied by his son, George I. Stowe. Numerous descendants are living.

Armsby .-- Horace Armsby, for fifteen years, was a manufacturer of sash and blinds here. He was a man highly esteemed. His son, Amos Armsby, Esq., is reckoned among the best of financiers, and is a re- speeted member of the community.

Crane .- Hon. Hosea Crane was once president of the Millbury Bank, was long a manufacturer, and was elected to the Senate of Massachusetts.

Atwood .- David Atwood was long cashier of the Millbury Bank, has served the town as treasurer many years, has served on the School Committee, and in every way has proved a valuable citizen. In 1889 his commission as justice of the peace was re- newed.

Davidson .- William G. Davidson was formerly a tanner, but now is an extensive farmer at the west part. One son, William E., is a lawyer in Boston ; H. W. Davidson, Esq., another son, is a farmer.

Goulding .- Ephraim Goulding, Esq., was the first postmaster at West Millbury. He was long identi- fied with trade in the west part of the town. None of the name are living among us.

Freeman .-- Silas M. Freeman was an old-time stage driver, running from Sturbridge, Mass., east. He has been dead several years.

Ryan .- William Ryan was for several years town undertaker. He retired in 1882, and his son, Her- bert M. Ryan, succeeded.

Bancroft .- Hon. H. L. Baneroft was once in trade here. He was elected to the Massachusetts Senate and has long been connected with religious and town affairs.

Dunton .-- Silas Dunton has for many years been engaged in trade in this town. He has represented the town in the Legislature, and is a respected and honored citizen.

Simpson .-- Captain Peter Simpson is a prominent manufacturer of the town. He lias done much for its prosperity, and is a liberal giver to every worthy object.

Sayles .- Hon. Irving B. Sayles is another citizen of the towu who has been honored with a seat in the Massachusetts House and Senate. He has served the town as selectman, School Committee and trustee of the Town Library. He has also been engaged in trade here.

Benchley .- Henry W. Benchley, formerly Lieuten- ant-Governor of the State, was once a citizen of Millbury. He was a man highly respected while here.

Space forbids a more extended mention of the families of the town, but in passing we may name the Parks, Woodwards, Haywards, Pitts, Richard- sons, Bonds, Garfields, Glaziers, Rices, Carters, Hulls, Haydens, Tainters, Snows, and others might be men- tioned who are or have been active to more or less extent in the affairs of Millbury.

Millbury has been the birth-place of many inge- nious and useful inventions, and among others those of Hervey Waters justly deserve mention. Mr. Waters is a native of this town ; was a son of Deaeon Elijah Waters, of Armory fame; he resided here when making many of his inventions. He later resided in Boston, where he was recognized by the courts as an expert of superior merit in the trial of patent cases. One of his inventions has been thought worthy to be classed with " Babbage's Calculator," which has been pronounced by British critics to he the nearest approach to the human intellect of anything ever created by man.

Pins were formerly made in England by hand pro- cess. The manufacture had been repeatedly attempted in this country, but always failed until Hervey Waters invented machines to make them by motive-power. His first machine made them with solid heads. When taken to market, he was told they would not sell because not like the English pin, whose head was formed of a fine wire twisted around one end. When he assured them his style was best, the reply was, " "Tis not in fashion, and 'tis useless to argue or con- tend against fashion." He then devised and built a machine to make the Englishi pin at one motion from wire of two sizes-a very ingenious contrivance. When he took these to market, he found it flooded with English pins selling far below eost. The English had attempted a game often practiced by them to kill off our infant manufactures, of drowning him ont.

He had too much Yankee grit to be put down in this way. Knowing it cost the English much labor to stick them by hand, he determined to stick them by a machine, and then his two machines would defy all competition. Accordingly, he contrived and huilt such a machine. Into a large hopper at the top the pins were poured, shaken down an opening, marshaled into parallel lines, forty-eight pins in a line, all point- ing the same way, and at one motion the whole row was thrust upon paper, in less time than it requires to read this description. Like "Bahbage's Caleulator," the machine was taught to count, and to count rapidly and correctly, and what seems equally marvelous, it ar- ranged the pins in rows with heads all one way and points the other.

By this triumph of American genius the manufac- ture of pins became permanently established in this country. Mr. Waters sold out his machines to parties

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in Derby, Conn., where the business continues to be pursued.

He next turned his attention to the manufacture of . seythes. Hitherto the practice had been to draw out the blades under trip-hammers. He conceived the idea of rolling them out between grooved rollers. The curvature of the scythe produced obstacles almost in- superable, but after years of persistent effort and many ingenious contrivances he overcame them all and made scythes cheaper, if not better, than had ever been done before.

When the late war broke out he invented a machine for rolling bayonet blades which did the work so per- fectly as to save grinding and only require buffing.

It was adopted at once at the United States Armory, Springfield, by many private contractors and most of the bayonets made during the war-num- bering hundreds of thousands-were rolled out on Mr. Waters' machine.

MILITARY RECORD .- What is now Millbury did her part in furnishing soldiers as long ago as the French and Indian War-among this number was Jonathan Holman. From this part of Sutton went a goodly quota for those times. At the breaking out of They had no public armories; guns were scarce; gun-makers more so, and neither could be readily imported.

the Revolutionary War the men of the North Parish were not backward in responding to the call of their country. The names of Waters, Tainter, Dwinell, Holman, Lovell, Elliott, Small, Goodell and Pierce stand out on the roll of fame in letters never to be erased. Millbury has been the home of one major- general, one brigadier-general and several colonels. In the days of the old militia this town had her com- panies of infantry1 and her annual trainings. But the old captains and the privates (most of them) long ago took their march for that country from.which no soldier returns.

In the late conflict with the South the men of Mill- bury were not backward in the war for equal rights. Her dead lie on many a hard-fought field, the living bear the scars of the battle's fray. Some of her sons became the gaunt victims of a cruel foe. But the stril'e ceased at last, right triumphed over wrong, but at a fearful cost. As near as ean be ascertained, Mill- bury, in the War of the Rebellion furnished four hundred and three soldiers for the different terms of service. War-meetings were often held and the spirit of patriotism was ever on the alert. The women of the town showed their willingness to serve their country by giving up their husbands, fathers, sons on the altar. The Millbury roll of honor will stand for all coming time a record of what her sons did to ex- terminate the accursed institution of slavery.

Memorial tablets have been erected to those who died in the service. The living " tell how fields were won." Thirty-two lives were lost in the great strug- gle

STATISTICS .- In 1840 the population was 1611; in 1850, 3081; 1870, 4397 ; 1885, 4555. The valuation in 1888 was $1,954,847. The business of Millbury in 1837 amounted to about $515,775. In 1870 it had in- creased to upwards of $2,500,000.

The census of 1870 showed 2679 natives and 1718' foreigners, all white but nine.

The county tax in 1822, paid by this town, was $125.31. In 1888 the State tax was $2700; county, $1604; town grant, $31,785; overlayings, $785.79. Total, $36,874.79. Tax on each thousand dollars in 1888, $17.70 ; poll, male, $2; female, 50 cents.

No attempts have been successful to obtain the amount of business for the year 1888.

BIOGRAPHICAL.

ASA WATERS. 1

When the American Colonies boldly declared for independence, they were sadly deficient in means of defence against the well-armed troops of Great Britain.

Fortunately for the Massachusetts Colony, there dwelt in Sutton a family in which gun-making had been an hereditary pursuit for several generations. Their presence in this locality is thus accounted for :

When Governor Winthrop came, in 1630, to found the Massachusetts Colony, in and around Salem and Boston, he brought a much larger company than the Pilgrim Fathers, who had previously settled at Plym- onth, and embracing various trades and professions. Knowing that the country abounded in wild game and Indians, he took the wise precaution to bring two gun-makers, William Plaise and Richard Waters. They settled in Salem, where the town built for them a shop at public expense. Richard Waters married the daughter of Plaise, and it is a noteworthy fact that gun-making became an bereditary pursuit for seven generations.

Nathaniel, a grandson of Richard Waters, was one of the original proprietors of Sutton Township, esti- mated at 30,000 acres. He selected his part (one- tenth) in North Sutton, now West Millbury.

When the Revolutionary War broke out, two of his descendants, Asa and Andrus, esponsing the freedom cause with ardor, proceeded forthwith to build a gun-factory on Singletary Stream, a tributary of the Blackstone River. Guns, previous to this date, had been wrought by hand-labor, and this was the first instance that can be traced by the writer where water- power had been brought to its aid. Gun materials were wholly wanting-even bar-iron.

The nearest source of supply they could discover

1 Abont ten years ago a company existed in town called the Millbury Guards.

1 By the late Col. Asa H. Waters.

AL WENders

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lay in the Salisbury Mines, Connecticut, nearly one hundred miles distant. They obtained it there in pigs, carting it, through a new and rough country, to Douglas, where, wood being plenty, a forge was built to refine and hammer the iron into bars. Thence it was carted to their armory, and there wrought into guns.

Andrus Waters lost his life at the Salisbury mines, and, having rare genius for mechanics, his loss at this critical period was regarded as a public calamity, and he was buried with due honors at West Point.

Asa pursued the business with energy, and contin- ued to support the cause with gun-flint arguments, thus proving his loyalty through all the years of the war. In the mean time the State built a powder-mill near his works, placed it under his charge and he was often heard to remark : " Hardly a barn could be found in this region under which I have not bent my back to scrape up salt-petre," thus showing the des- perate straits to which the colonies were driven in their struggle for independence, of which the present generation can form but a feeble conception of the cost of success.

When the clouds began to lower, threatening the War of 1812, rightly termed by Henry Clay "The second War of Independence," two of the sons of Asa Waters, Asa (2d)-the subject of this sketch- and Elijah, built a larger gun-factory below, on the Blackstone River, where greater power was obtained, to which industry they added the making of scythes, saw-mill saws, refining iron, cast-steel, etc. During this war Deacon Elijah Waters died, much lamented, leaving his brother Asa alone to pursue the business.

Possessing great physical strength and uncommon energy, inheriting, in a remarkable degree, the me- chanical talent characteristic of his family, and being awarded by the government large contracts, he intro- duced various improvements in gun-making, which wrought great changes, and out of which grew results whose importance can hardly be overestimated. Two only will be referred to.

Gun-barrels were welded and forged, up to this time, entirely by hand-power, the super having two strikers. All this is within the recollection of the writer.

On October 25, 1817, he was granted letters-patent for his invention for welding gun-barrels under trip- hammers, with concave dies, striking four hundred blows a minute, and controlled by a foot-treadle. This patent was signed by James Monroe, President ; John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State ; and Richard Rush, Attorney-General of the United States.

This invention was copied by all the armories of the United States and Europe, and his claim to original- ity has never been disputed.

In the following year (1818), observing that the English process of grinding the barrels down before a revolving-stone left the metal of uneven thickness around the calibre, and thus liable toexplode, led him to invent a lathe to turn the barrel to uniform thick-

ness. This patent, December 21, 1818, was also signed by James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, and by William Wirt, Attorney-General, and was the first patent ever issued for turning guu-barrels in a lathe, save one, which was a failure. This proved a success, so far as the barrel was round, but to turn the irregular shape of the butt-" hoc opus hic labor est."

As I now approach what may truly be considered an epoch in progressive mechanics, from whence dates an entire revolution in the modes of work in all our large mechanic-shops, I will summon to the stand one who was an eye-witness of its first develop- ment, Maj. J. W. Wright, of Michigan, and will quote from a letter recently received from him:

I resided most of the early part of my life uear the Armory of Asa Waters in Millbury, and was long employed by him : first by preparing finished work for the United States Inspectors, then as chief clerk, and next as Superintendent of his Armory Works. While in his employ he introduced many improvements, among which was a mode of welding gun-barrels by water-power instead of the English mode by hand-power. Also a machine for turning the barrels in place of grinding them down.

Various machines were got up about the same time at other Armories They all finally succeeded in turuing the barrel so far as it was round, but to turn the irregular shape of the hutt baffled all the efforts and de- fied the ingenuity of all the mechanics in all the Armories.

After laboring long and hard on the problem, Mr. Waters, hearing of a budding genius in a neighboring district, sent for him to come to his Armory and see if he could suggest something. He came, and soon after produced a model for a very peculiar aud entirely original " Cam motion," which relieved the difficulty at once.

To reduce the forged hutt to proper shape cost, in labor and files, a dollar on each gun, and this motion reduced the expense more than half. One of the stockers, while watching the operation, said to the filer, " Blanchard has robbed you of your job, but he cannot rob us of ours, for he cannot turn a gun-stock." This young man, since famous as Thomas Blanchard, modestly replied : " I'm not so certain of that." His mind being thue directed to this matter, after the study of a year or more, he brought to the Armory of Mr. Waters a wooden model, four feet long, for a machine to turn a gun-stock. The expert mechanics thought favorably of it, and a full-sized machine was built. Some of the United States inspectors, on service at the Armory at the time, wanted it sent to Springfield for examination and trial. Blanchard cou- senting, it was carted to the Armory there by Horace Waters. It re- mained long enough to build another similar, was then returned to Mr. Waters' Armory, and there remained in use many years. .

While in the employ of Mr. Waters I married the niece of Thomas Blanchard, and was thus brought into close and intimate relatious with both. I had frequent conferences with Blanchard upon his various in- ventions, aud was often requested to aid him in bis suits for infringe- mente, which were uuending.

(Signed) April 27, 1886.

J. W. WRIGHT, Kalamazoo, Mich.

In after-years the great inventor declared that it was at this visit to the armory that the idea first flashed into his mind of the "Eccentric Lathe." The "Cam Motion " was the germ from which the " Lathe" sprung, it involving the same principle. From it has grown, by successive improvements, what is now known as the " Uniformity or Inter- change System," which has revolutionized the work- shops of the world, and forms an epoch in progressive mechanics, the greatest since the introduction of steam-power, and reduced the price of watches, fire- arms and everything made by machinery.

The world is largely indebted to Asa Waters as an instrument in hastening on the day of the "Eccentric

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Lathe," in thus calling to his aid the services of Thomas Blanchard, for had he uot been called at this time his inventive genius might have been turned in another direction.

By a flash of genius, as by inspiration, here was re- vealed the discovery of a new principle in mechanics, which has proved one of the greatest labor-saving in- ventions ever made. By this, a machine driven by motive-power could be made to work out almost any design or pattern-be it round or square, crooked or straight, however irregular-and rapidly reproduce an exact copy every time.

Thomas Blanchard's fame soon reached Washing- ton, and he was invited by the War Department to take the whole charge of stocking guns in the Spring- field Armory. He there extended the principle to mortising in the iron parts, until the whole hand-labor of stocking guns was performed by sixteen power ma- chines of his own invention, which did the work with perfect uniformity, and at greatly reduced expense. The machines had exact aud perfect uniformity in every part. Here a new difficulty arose. While all his work had perfect uniformity, the locks and other iron parts had not been brought up to this perfection and frequent misfits occurred. This raised loud com- plaints against the innovators of hand-labor and threatened the whole improvement. Blanchard then made ingenious contrivances to make his work un- uniform, so as to fit the variations of the iron parts. The War Department reported that it was important that after a battle the broken guns could be gathered up and readjusted into perfect arms; and for the model of 1840 they gave directions for all the parts to be so uniform as to be interchangeable.

This was at first pronounced to be impossible, es- pecially of the lock, which parts were lettered o1 numbered to preserve their identity. It was then at least impracticable, and a legion of contrivances and experiments had to precede before the iron-work could be brought up to the standard of Blanchard's.

Thirteen years elapsed, as appears from Mr. C. H. Fitch's report, before the contrivances Blanchard had made to make his work un-uniform could be dispensed with.

In this part of the interchange system many other inventors and mechanics should share the honors, no- tably : Hall, of Harper's Ferry ; Cyrus Buckland and Thomas Warner, of Springfield. It was under the auspices of the latter, as master armorer in 1842, that the system finally triumphed-and a grievous triumph it was for American mechanics. Individuality of parts was thus merged in numbers, and lettering and other distinguishing marks abandoned forever.

The chief feature in bringing the iron-work up to the standard was the "Milling Machine." This use- ful machine might well be called the Universal Filer. Such have been the improvements inaugurated by the "Interchange System," that the old-time idea that hand-work was superior to machine-work has become

an exploded notion. No human hand can compete with the sewing-machine in perfect uniformity of stitch, much less in rapidity ; none with the microme- ter gauge in infinitesimal nicety, nor approach it ; none execute the machine engraving on bank-notes and watch-cases.

Great improvements have been made on Blanch- ard's machines, but the principle that he introduced has never been superseded, and will be found active to-day in factories where breech-loaders, revolvers, watches and other interchangeable work is executed, His inventive genius has rarely been surpassed, and his motto was : " Whatever the human hand can do, a machine can be made to do." He was born June 24, 1788, in North Sutton (now Millbury), and lived here until after he had made this invention, the tack- machine and many others.

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History of Worcester County, Massachusetts : with biographical sketches of many of its pioneers and prominent men, Vol. II, Part 55

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton) Publication date: 1889 Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co. Number of Pages: 1464

Author: Hurd, D. Hamilton (Duane Hamilton)
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: Philadelphia : J.W. Lewis & Co.
Number of Pages: 1464