USA > Massachusetts > Plymouth County > Lakeville > History of the town of Lakeville, Massachusetts, 1852-1952; one hundredth anniversary of the town of Lakeville > Part 5
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The Indian chapter of this book tells how the Indians would come to the Sampson Tavern to sell their baskets and farm products.
The tavern was closed in 1869. Henry G. Carpenter sold it to Josephine Perry, wife of Eben Perry, of New Bedford, by deed dated June 28, 1870. It was used as a summer home by Eben Perry and his son, Arthur E. Perry, for nearly 40 years.
The City of Taunton obtained title, September 8, 1911, and, of course, we all know the sad fate of the once famous tavern. The buildings were all torn down and removed.
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CHAPTER V
PEOPLE
ISAAC SAMPSON
I
SAAC Sampson, who lived on Main Street, was born July 12, 1826, and died May 16, 1919. He was the son of Nathaniel and Zilpha T. (Shaw) Sampson. He attended Peirce Academy and after completing his studies taught school in Middleboro for four years. Later he engaged in the manufacture of whalers' shoes, his product reach- ing a ready sale in New Bedford.
In 1850 Mr. Sampson went to California where he took up a claim and started farming, afterward working in the mines. He returned about two and a half years later but went four more times to California engaging in business each trip. At San Leandro he served as postmaster for several years and he also was notary public for Ala- meda County. His ten years in California were pleasant as well as profitable. He was a member of Califor- nia Pioneers.
When Lakeville was set apart from Middleboro, in 1853, Mr. Sampson was elected town clerk and he held that office for many years. He also served as selectman, assessor, auditor and as a member of
HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF LAKEVILLE
the school committee. He always retained an active interest in town matters.
Mr. Sampson noted that during his long life, ninety-three years, the action of the water of Lake Assawompsett had caused several rods of the shore to wash away in sections and thus the area of the lake had been enlarged.
At the time of his death, Mr. Sampson was the oldest resident of Lakeville and thus the holder of the gold-headed cane. He was descended from Abraham Sampson, a brother of Henry Sampson, who came over in the Mayflower, and four generations of his family lived in Lakeville. He married Julia, whose maiden name was Sampson and they had two children: Eugene H. and Julia (Sampson) Willis.
JOHN H. NELSON
John Hiram Nelson resided on the old road off Main Street. He was born February 7, 1829, and died December 15, 1912. He was the only child of Cyrus A. and Eliza (Pickens) Nelson. He was a great-grandson of Colonel John Nelson, the rev- olutionary patriot, and a lineal descendant in the sixth gen- eration from Thomas Nelson, who was the first settler on Assa- wompsett Neck in 1717. Mr. Nelson was left an orphan when eighteen months old by the death of his mother. He married Mary D. Williams of Lakeville, January 1, 1857, and they had five children: a son, Chester W., and four daughters, Hannah K., Fannie, Mary L. and Lucy A.
Mr. Nelson was a pioneer in the establishment of the summer colony at Lake Assawompsett, building the first cottage for Joseph Dean of Taunton in 1857. The shore property of this farm became known as Nelson's Grove.
Mr. Nelson was one of the best known and highly esteemed citizens of the town and from his connection with the summer people had an extensive acquaintance. He was a modest man and never held public office, outside of road surveyor, although often asked to do so. He conducted his farm very successfully.
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PEOPLE
CAPTAIN JOHN H. PAUN
Captain John H. Paun was born in New Bedford on August 15, 1831, and died in Lakeville, December 27, 1903. He received his high school education in New Bedford and there learned his cooper's trade. At an early age he shipped from New Bedford on the whaling ship, "Eagle," for the whal- ing grounds of the South Pacific where he spent forty-nine months. His second voyage was on the "Pantheon," where he served as cooper and fourth mate. When two and a half years out, the ship took fire and was completely destroyed. The crew fortunately escaped and landed on the island of Nukaheva where they stayed for three months, and were then taken off by an English brig and landed in San Francisco.
Mr. Paun next shipped as first mate on the barque "Massa- chusetts," which was out from New Bedford for forty months, cruising in the Okhotsk and the South Seas. Subsequently from 1860 to 1864 he was master of the barque, "Anaconda," which was under his charge some forty-five months. His next charge was the barque, "Cicero," which was out for forty-six months, from 1865 to 1869. On this trip he visited the whaling grounds of the Arctic Ocean, the Okhotsk Sea and the South Pacific.
After twenty years of constant voyaging, enduring the bitter cold of the Arctic region, the fierce heat of the tropics, and ex-
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posure of the deep, he returned to his home in Lakeville where he spent the rest of his life.
Captain Paun married Sarah C. Coombs. They had four chil- dren: S. Ida, John G., Isabelle F. (Paun) Ryder, and Grace I. Sarah Crocker (Coombs) Paun was born in 1835 and died in 1917. She was the daughter of Simeon and Sarah (Hinckley) Coombs. She completed a course of studies at Peirce Academy during the principalship of Prof. Jenks. She taught in the public schools of Lakeville and, at one time, conducted a private school. She was a descendant of Governor Hinckley, Elder Faunce and others of Colonial Days. She ever remained true to the faith of her an- cestors.
In politics Mr. Paun was a staunch republican and for ten years he served as selectman and assessor of Lakeville, presiding for eight years during that term as chairman of the selectmen. He was a citizen of strict honesty and integrity and was held in high esteem by the townspeople. His devotion to his family was a marked characteristic.
JOSEPH DEMARANVILLE
Joseph DeMaranville was born in Lakeville in 1848 and died in 1923. He was the son of Josiah and Louisa (Downing) DeMa- ranville. He married Chloe A. Horr in January 1881. They had four children: Fred, Alton, Maude and Clarence. They lived on the Turnpike, near Bell School Corner. He was engaged in the teaming business and was very successful in his undertakings. His square, honest treatment won a large number of friends. He was very good in arithmetic and it is said that it was because he attended a girls' school. While a boy in his teens he did chores at the home of the White Sisters, who ran a private school for girls. They took a liking to Joseph and taught him arithmetic.
In town affairs Mr. DeMaranville took an active part. He held the offices of constable and overseer of the poor for many years. He was also, for years, highway surveyor for district number five.
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ANNIE PEIRCE HAYNES KELLY
Annie (Peirce) Kelly was born in the Peirce homestead on Lakeside Avenue in 1862 and died March 27, 1927. Her father was Charles T. Peirce and her mother was Mary V. Sampson, the daughter of Sylvanus Sampson.
Mrs. Kelly was a trustee of the Lake- ville Public Library. She was very much in- terested in the rights of women to vote.
MAJOR PETER HOAR
Major Peter Hoar was a well known and influential man in his day. He served in the Company of Militia commanded by Captain Isaac Wood at the battle of Lexington and was later in several of the expeditions into Rhode Island. He was a major in the Fourth Regiment of Militia of Massachusetts and was afterward promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Major Hoar was one of the selectmen of Middleboro for more than fifty years. He was a representative of the town in the legis- lature in 1809, 1810 and 1811. He was an active member of the Second Baptist Church which was known as the Pond Meeting- House. Among the provisions of his will he made a generous bequest to this church. Another provision was made whereby a
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sermon was to be delivered at his home every Christmas Day, as long as his widow should live. Rev. Daniel Hix of Dartmouth, noted alike for eccentricity and sterling good sense, was selected by Major Hoar to deliver this sermon. He accepted the trust and faithfully performed that duty for nearly a quarter of a century.
ZEBULON LEONARD CANEDY
Zebulon L. Canedy, former Representa- tive of this district in the General Court of Massachusetts and a highly successful busi- ness man, lived at the corner of High- land Road and County Road.
Mr. Canedy was born in Lakeville in 1864. He was the son of William and Jean- nette (Allen) Canedy. He received his early education in the Lakeville public schools. He engaged in business at an early age and soon became very prominent in the lumber business. He also conducted a farm and carried on a teaming business.
In town affairs Mr. Canedy took an active part. He has held the offices of selectman, assessor and overseer of the poor, serving as chairman of the board for several years. He also served the town as superintendent of streets and road commissioner. He was for some time prominent as a contractor in road building. Mr. Canedy died August 5, 1936.
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WALTER SAMPSON
Walter Sampson, who lived on Highland Road, was born December 13, 1862, and died April 23, 1931. He was the son of Uriah and Betsey (Ashley) Sampson. On January 3, 1883, he married Emma M. Stevens in Lyndon, Vermont.
As a boy he worked about the farm on Mullein Hill. He at- tended the McCully School, with a record for punctual attend- ance, and later at- tended Peirce Acad- emy in Middleboro. In 1880, wishing to secure a broader edu- cation, he entered the local high school and with intense applica- tion to his studies finished the four-year course in two years During his attendance at high school, Mr. Sampson walked back and forth daily between the school and the farm, a distance of fourteen miles.
Entering Dartmouth College in the fall of 1882, he soon became known in the college as an outstanding student. He was a mem- ber of Alpha Delta Phi Fraternity and was one of the editors of the Dartmouth College newspaper. Prior to graduation in 1886 he was elected to membership in Phi Beta Kappa and also had the distinction of having three degrees conferred upon him by his Alma Mater. These included the Bachelor of Arts, Master of Arts and Master of Pedagogy, he being the first graduate to
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receive this honorary degree. He entered upon his teaching in the winter of 1885 in New Hampshire. After being graduated from Dartmouth, he was principal of the Academy at Lyndon, Vermont, from 1886 to 1890. In the latter year, he came to Mid- dleboro as principal of the high school, holding that position for thirty-three years.
Mr. Sampson also found time to be active in civic affairs and was much interested in the success of the town. He was interested in fruit culture and his apple and peach orchards on the old farm at Mullein Hill were models and were used for demonstra- tion purposes by State Agricultural officials.
SIDNEY TUCKER NELSON
Sidney T. Nelson was born August 12, 1845, in the Nelson homestead on the old Turnpike. He died August 26, 1919. He married first, Emma Parkhurst, on June 13, 1872. They had three children: Thomas Sidney Nelson, Maude Nelson, and Clifton W. Nelson.
Emma Nelson, his first wife, died August 1, 1881, and on No- vember 9, 1886, he married Elizabeth Parkhurst, who was a sister of Emma. They had no children.
Mr. Nelson was educated at the Peirce Academy at Middle- boro. He served twenty-one years as a member of the school committee and eight years as selectman and assessor and repre- sented the town in the legislature in 1888. He was also a member of the committee for the suppression of crime and was a justice of the peace for fifteen years.
Mr. Nelson was a practical farmer, cultivating the ancestral acres with success. He was considered an authority on agricul- tural matters. At one time he was a member of the South Bristol Farmer's Club and the meetings were occasionally held at his home.
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PEOPLE
CHESTER ASHLEY
Chester Ashley of Montgomery Street is the son of David and Alsada (Peirce) Ashley and was born in Lakeville, October 1863. He attended the McCully School on Highland Road. He filled the position of substi- tute teacher for a few years, following which he went to Bos- ton in 1889 to take up shorthand and typ- ing. In 1890 he en- tered the office of Hol- lingsworth & Vose in Boston, who were owners of paper man- ufacturing plants in Walpole and West Groton.
Mr. Ashley married Sophronia A. Alden, December 25, 1893. They had two chil- dren, Mildred A. and David.
Mr. Ashley returned to Lakeville in 1901 and was elected to the school committee and served for three years. Between 1904 and 1922 Mr. Ashley practiced general farming. He was elected selectman and assessor in 1922 and held that office for twenty- nine years. Mr. Ashley has also served as clerk to the board of selectmen and assessors continuously. On March 5, 1951, at the age of eighty-seven, he resigned from public office. He has served with distinction. Mr. Ashley was honored at a testimonial dinner held January 30, 1951, at the Linden Lodge, where more than two hundred guests gathered.
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JOHN G. PAUN
John G. Paun of Main Street is the son of Captain John H. Paun and Sarah C. Paun. Captain Paun was a Master Mariner, captain of whalers sailing out of New Bedford. When away on one of his whaling voyages, he left his family in Barnstable, where John G. Paun was born on June 13, 1870. The family moved back to Lake- ville in 1872, residing at the Paun home- stead.
Mr. Paun attended the Upper Four Cor- ners School. From there he attended school in Middleboro, then Eaton's private school, where he studied for four years, taking advanced courses in higher mathematics and graduating as a surveyor in 1890. He did sur- veying for the town and worked a hundred acre farm. He built his present home and was married therein, August 1899, to Louisa Thomas. They have one daughter, Edith (Paun) MacNeill.
Mr. Paun was appointed moderator and auditor in 1902, con- tinuing that service until 1923, when he was elected town clerk, treasurer, tax collector and a member of the board of welfare. He has continued as such, excepting the duties of the board of welfare, which were taken over by the selectmen in 1947.
Mr. Paun was honored at a testimonial dinner held January 30, 1951, at the Linden Lodge, where more than two hundred guests gathered.
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CAPTAIN ANDREW J. SHOCKLEY
Captain Andrew J. Shockley of Main Street spent fifteen years at sea. He was a most interesting story-teller and his narratives of the years spent at sea were thrilling. His whaling voyages took him to many waters but he withstood the hardships and dangers of early shipping and returned to his native town. He was born in Lakeville, June 12, 1835, and he died in 1911. His father was Joseph Shockley. There were fifteen children in the family, seven of whom were boys. Residing near the largest lake in the state, Assawompsett, they spent much time on or around this lake. Perhaps as a natural sequence one after another, with the excep- tion of one who was blind, the boys went to sea. For thirty-seven years members of the Shockley family of this town sailed the seas.
A peculiar feature of their seafaring life is the fact that all the boys shipped on whaling vessels. In fifteen years of life on the sea, Captain Shockley had only one mishap. He was nearly drowned in the Indian Ocean.
A short time before his fifteenth birthday, a desire to see the world possessed young Andrew Shockley and going to New Bed- ford he signed up with the ship "William Hamilton," on which his brother, Humphrey Shockley, was master. This was in 1850. Later young Shockley shipped on the "Rebecca Simms," which was gone forty-two months, returning in 1857 with a good load of oil. For a time after this he ran a packet boat carrying sugar from the Sandwich Islands to San Francisco. This was followed by another whaling trip to the Arctic, the return route being by way of Japan. From this trip in 1866 he landed at San Francisco and came back overland to his native town. The remainder of his life was spent on his model seventy acre farm.
Captain Shockley was married July 5, 1857, to Phebe J. Ashley of Lakeville and two children were born to them: Frederick A. Shockley and Ida M. (Shockley) Shaw.
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ELBRIDGE CUSHMAN
Elbridge Cushman of Main Street, a native of Lakeville, was born in 1838 and died on September 8, 1899. He was educated in the public schools and fitted for college at Peirce Academy. He was a teacher in many Plymouth County schools and in Worcester in his younger days.
He married Eliz- abeth Shurtleff and they had three daugh- ters: Elizabeth, Susie and Ruth (Cushman) Holmes.
Later he became known as a very pro- gressive farmer. He was for a time pres- ident of the Plymouth County Agricultural Society and lectured in every part of the state on agriculture and in the interest of the grangers. He was appointed to the State Board of Agriculture by Governor Russell and served three terms with distinction.
Mr. Cushman held various town offices, some of which were as follows: selectman, a member of the school committee and of the committee to settle with town officers. He had twice been nominated by the Democrats for Secretary of State. He had lec- tured on the political platform quite extensively. He was at first a Republican but left the party because of the high tariff ideas during Blaine's canvass.
Mr. Cushman was a prominent member of the Central Baptist Church and was well known in both Lakeville and Middleboro.
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ALTON R. ROGERS
Alton R. Rogers was born in Lakeville, February 4, 1868, the son of Hiram and Mary Rogers. He lived in Lakeville until 1939 and then moved to Middleboro where he served on the police force for twenty-three years. He was then obliged to retire because of ill health.
He packed a lot of experience into his life, being a farmer, a farm manager, a shoeworker, a stone mason, a builder of a pipe line and col- lector of antiques. As a stone mason Mr. Rogers helped build many of the founda- tions of the mill houses in East Taun- ton. As a shoeworker, in his younger days, he was employed at the John Aldrich Shoe Factory in North Lakeville. He was foreman of the construction of the pipe line from Elder's Pond to Taunton. At one time he was boss farmer at the Morgan Rotch estate which is now the summer home of the Arthur G. Rotch family.
Mr. Rogers served in town offices in addition to his duties as policeman of Middleboro, being a member of the board of health and welfare and also a cemetery commissioner for Lakeville. He was a constable in this town for some thirty-nine years.
Alton R. Rogers married Nellie Bisbee and they had three children: Lillie (Rogers) Quindley, Edith (Rogers) Green and Charles H. Mr. Rogers died August 17, 1952.
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FREDERICK A. SHOCKLEY
Frederick A. Shockley was born July 6, 1861, in the homestead on Main Street and lived the greater part of his life there. He was the son of Andrew J. and Phebe J. (Ashley) Shockley. In
February, 1882, he married Emma Pearce. They had two daughters, Carrie (Shockley) Elliott and Gladys (Shockley) Thatcher.
During early manhood he lived with his uncle, A. Davis Ashley, in New Bed- ford, returning later to Lakeville where he engaged extensively in the carriage business. The selling of automobiles was added, as this mode of transportation superseded the horse and buggy.
On March 4, 1895, he was elected to the office of selectman and assessor, serving contin- uously for forty-four years. In 1916 he was appointed a deputy sheriff of Plymouth County and held that office until his death. The increasing duties of the county appointment prompted his resignation from town duties on March 10, 1939.
Many of his spare moments were spent in the saddle, as he was always a lover of horses.
With the passing of Mr. Shockley in January, 1942, Lakeville lost one of its best known and most highly respected citizens.
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PEOPLE GEORGE WARD STETSON
George Ward Stetson was a native of Lakeville, the son of Sprague S. and Thalia (Weston) Stetson, and was born Febru- ary 27, 1866. He married Miss Myra Cushing, June 26, 1896. He died June 1, 1926, and is buried in the Nemasket Hill Cem- etery in Middleboro. The names of their children were Pris- cilla (Stetson) Alger, Thalia (Stetson) Ken- nedy, George Ward, Jr., and Mary C. (Stetson) Wood. He came of good Colonial stock, being descended on his father's side from the Ward fam- ily, while his mother was a granddaughter of Joshua Eddy. He attended the Upper Four Corners School in Lakeville, was graduated from Middleboro High School in 1882 and from Dartmouth College in 1886, with the degree of A.B., being a member of Phi Beta Kappa and of Alpha Delta Phi. He was an enthusiastic Dartmouth man, intensely loyal to his Alma Mater.
After spending a year at his father's farm in Lakeville, he re- solved to study law and began again as a student in 1888. He was in the office of his uncle, Thomas Weston, a leading attorney in Boston, and later historian of Middleboro. Mr. Stetson also took courses at Boston University Law School, from which he was graduated in 1890 with the degree of L.L.B., being admitted the
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same year to the Suffolk bar. He continued in his uncle's office, with an evening office in Middleboro, until 1897. Upon the death of Everett Robinson, Mr. Stetson succeeded to much of his business and with increasing practice, he gave up the Boston office. For approximately three years he held the position of special justice of the Fourth District Court.
In 1900, he was appointed referee in bankruptcy; his district originally was comprised of Plymouth and Barnstable Counties, but later included Bristol, Dukes and Nantucket Counties. The duties of this office gave him a wide acquaintance with the bar of Southeastern Massachusetts. He still carried on his ever in- creasing law practice. For a time he was associated with Albert H. Washburn and later formed a partnership with Fletcher Clark, Jr. under the firm name of Stetson & Clark. He was one of the original board of trustees of the estate of Thomas S. Peirce, and also a trustee of the Middleboro Savings Bank-for years its clerk. He served as director in the Middleboro Trust Company.
A member of the Central Baptist Church, he served on the prudential committee and as treasurer. Interested in the YMCA, he was on its board of management and was its president and treasurer. Despite the exacting duties of his profession and the demands upon his time and strength in the office he filled, Mr. Stetson had so strong a sense of civic duty that he readily accepted many lesser places of trust in which he was of particular assistance to his fellow townsmen. He was a member of various com- mittees of the town, was chairman of the school committee and president of the Old Middleboro Historical Association.
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NATHANIEL G. STAPLES
Nathaniel Gilbert Staples, who lived on Main Street, was born in 1851 and died in 1930. He was the youngest son of Harrison and Hannah Purrington (Morton) Staples. He resided in Lake- ville all of his life. He survived his sister, Mrs. Julia E. Bassett, by only eleven days. He attended the Lakeville public schools and Peirce Academy. As a young man he was a member of Carter's Band of Middleboro. He served for several years as selectman and assessor of the town and for many years was mod- erator at the annual town meetings. He was justice of the peace for seven years. He served one term as State Representative from Lakeville in 1898.
He was a carpenter by trade and for a number of years was a bridge and depot builder. He was foreman of the road building for the State Highway Commission.
He married Julia E. Coombs . (Hathaway) and they had a daughter, Hannah M. (Staples) Reed.
FRANK B. WILLIAMS
Frank B. Williams, who lived on Myricks Street, was born in 1868 and died in December, 1939. He was the son of John and Susan E. (Ashley) Williams. He was connected with the family of former Mayor Charles S. Ashley of New Bedford. His grand- father and Mayor Ashley's father were first cousins.
Mr. Williams held the offices of selectman and assessor in this town for twenty-seven years. He was well known throughout this section and was highly respected and honored by all who knew him.
A grocery store in the Precinct district was operated by Mr. Williams for many years. This store had an order route through other parts of the town.
Mr. Williams and Miss Bethia Rounds were married December 6, 1919, and they had a daughter, Edith (Williams) Goodwin.
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JAMES P. PEIRCE
James P. Peirce of Lakeville was born September 24, 1835, and died in 1914. Mr. Peirce was educated in the public schools in Middleboro and after completing his school course became a farmer and a wood and lumber dealer. He was a strong member of the republican party and was a prohibitionist. He had served in the legislature. He had held the offices of selectman and asses- sor and overseer of the poor in his native town at different times.
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