USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts of today; a memorial of the state, historical and biographical, issued for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago > Part 43
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A. H. GOETTING.
34I
SPRINGFIELD.
H OMER FOOT, one of the men to whom Spring- field owes a great deal of its material prosperity, and one of the oldest and most respected business men of the western part of the State, was born in Springfield, July 27, 1810, on the site of the United States Armory, his father being master armorer. He was the son of Adonijah and Clarissa (Woodworth) Foot. In 1825, when he was only fifteen years of age, his father died, and he became a clerk in the general store of the Dwights, at the cor- ner of Main and State streets. He remained there until 1831, when, becom- ing of age, he took charge of the busi- ness. At various times George Dwight and J. B. Stebbins were in partnership with him. On assum- ing control of the business, Mr. Foot confined his trade ex- clusively to hardware, iron and steel. He was probably the first in New Eng- land, outside of Bos- ton, to make this departure. Mr. Foot has remained in this business continu- ously since that time, the present firm con- sisting of himself and two sons, - Homer, Jr., and Frank Dwight Foot. In 1847 Mr. Foot built Foot's Block, at the corner of Main and State streets, which was one of the finest blocks in Springfield, and at the present time stands visible as a monument to his public-spirited enterprise. He was one of the earliest officers of the Chicopee National Bank, and has been connected with the Pynchon National Bank since it was founded, being at present a director. He has also been auditor of the Springfield Institution for Savings for forty-five years. In 1857 the nomination of lieutenant-
governor was forced upon Mr. Foot by the Whigs and the American party. Mr. Foot declined the honor, but his declination was not accepted. Neither of the par- ties was strong enough to elect any candidate at that time, and Mr. Foot did not insist upon having his name taken off the ticket. In politics he is an Independent, and has always been reluctant to take office, although at one time he consented to serve as overseer of the poor. Mr. Foot was for many years treasurer of the Hampden Watch Company, and it was largely through his efforts that the concern acquired its extensive reputation. He finally disposed of his interest in this concern, and a short time afterwards it was removed from Springfield to Can- ton, Ohio. Mr. Foot was married to Delia Dwight, daughter of James Scutt Dwight, in 1834. They have had ten children- seven sons and three daughters, all of whom, with the ex- ception of one son, are still living. The family is remarkable for its longevity. Mr. Foot is now eighty-two years old. His mother lived to the age of ninety- four, and most of the other members of the family lived to a ripe old age. Mr. Foot's sons are Emerson, Cleveland, James, Sandford, Homer and Francis Dwight. His daughters are Mrs. Leonard Ware, of Roxbury, Mass., and Maria and Delia Dwight Foot. Not many men in New England have remained so long - over sixty years - in the same line of business, or have a more honor- able record of success. Mr. Foot is now in the enjoy- ment of the fruits of his labors, surrounded by his hosts of friends.
HOMER FOOT.
342
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
JUDGE WILLIAM STEELE SHURTLEFF has, J with one or two exceptions, been on the bench longer than any other judge in Massachusetts. He was appointed judge of probate and insolvency for Hampden County by Governor Andrew in 1863. He has a peculiar military record. Entering the army soon after the war broke out, as a private in Company A, Forty-sixth Regiment, Massachusetts Volunteers, he was made lieutenant at company election, and at organ- izing the field and staff was promoted to lieutenant-colonel, and after service of three months in the field was promoted to the colonelcy. He was born at Newburg, Vt., Feb. 17, 1830. He was the son of Roswell and Clara (Gleason) Shurtleff. He is seventh in di- rect descent from William Shurtleff (sometimes called Shircliffe, of Eccles- field, Yorkshire, Eng- land), who came with the Pilgrims in the next vessel after the "Mayflower." In 1839, after three years' residence in Rochester, N. Y., he went to Springfield with his parents and was educated in pri- vate schools in that city and at Williston Seminary at Easthampton, from which he entered Vale in the class of 1854. After leaving college he studied law in the office of that famous Massachusetts congress- man, George Ashmun, and at the Harvard Law School. He was admitted to the bar of Hampden County in 1856, forming a partnership with the late Judge Henry Vose, and after the latter went on the Superior Court bench, with George Walker, lately consul-general at Paris. His judicial position made him ineligible to
most other public offices. He, however, served three years in the Common Council of Springfield, from 1875 to 1878, and has been prominently identified with measures and movements affecting the best interests of the city. He was in early life a prominent Mason, hav- ing for a period been master of Hampden Lodge, high priest of Morning Star Chapter, and commander of Springfield Encampment of Knights Templar at one and the same time. He is vice-president of the State Board of Public Res- ervations, created in 1891 for the preser- vation of places of historical interest and natural beauty ; a member of the Massachusetts His- torical Society ; vice- president of the Connecticut Valley Historical Society ; a director of the City Library Association ; a member of the Grand Army; was president of the Winthrop Club, the leading social organ- ization of the city for four years, and was for two years presi- dent of the Yale Alumni Association of Western Massa- chusetts. For thirty- four years he has been the counsel for the Springfield Insti- tute for Savings. He delivered the ode when Springfield celebrated its two hundred and fiftieth anniversary, the Memorial Day ode in 1878 in New York City, an address at the dedication of the Wallace Library, at Fitchburg, and the orations at the dedications of soldiers' monuments at Springfield and Belchertown. He is the author of a number of poems which have been published in magazines and journals. He was married to Clara Dwight, of Springfield, in 1857. They have had two children, both daughters, one of whom is living.
WILLIAM S. SHURTLEFF.
343
SPRINGFIELD.
G I IDEON WELLS, one of the ablest lawyers West- ern Massachusetts has ever had, was born, Aug. 16, 1835, at Weathersfield, Conn., the son of Romanta and Mary Ann (Morgan) Wells. He fitted for college at the East Windsor Hill School, at Easthampton, and was graduated from Yale with the class of 1858. He then went to Springfield and began reading law in the office of Chapman & Chamberlain, being admitted to the Hampden County bar in 1860. Later, the same year, Mr. Chapman was called to the bench and Mr. Chamberlain moved to Hartford, the business of the part- nership passing into the hands of a new firm, composed of Mr. Wells, George Ashmun and N. A. Leonard. Mr. Ash- mun presided at the convention held in Chicago which nom- inated Lincoln for the presidency. After Lincoln was in- augurated he spent much time in Wash- ington in connection with government affairs. The firm of Leonard & Wells continued, however, for many years, although from 1869 to 1876 Mr. Wells served as registrar in bankruptcy, and from 1876 to 1890 as judge of the Police Court. In the latter position his sound rulings on perplexing points have passed into his- tory. This place he resigned to become president of the Holyoke Water Power Company, for which com- pany he had long acted as attorney. Mr. Wells has been a director of the Massachusetts Mutual Life In- surance Company since 1877, and is attorney for that corporation as well as for the Springfield Street Railway Company. He is also director of the John Hancock
and Third National banks, and of several Southern and Western electric and irrigation companies, in which the insurance company is interested. Mr. Wells is nomi- nally the attorney for the Connecticut River Railroad, and has been connected in an official capacity with a variety of minor business and philanthropic organiza- tions. In 1889 the firm of Wells, McClench & Barnes was formed, but Mr. Wells has virtually retired from the partnership, although his name is retained. He is devoting himself principally to the affairs of the Water Power Company, and the Massachu- setts Mutual Life Insurance Company, although he occa- sionally accepts a case for an old client. Mr. Wells, with his busy pro- fessional life, has not found much time to hold office, but served in the City Council in 1865 and 1866, as a member from Ward Two. He is best known to the public by his connection with the lower criminal tribu- nal. "Judge " Wells, as he is called. is possessed of a great capacity for work, and excels in pre- paring important cases requiring a broad and deep legal knowledge. He has an honorable war record, having enlisted in Company A, of Springfield, of the Forty-sixth Regiment. He served as first lieutenant under Captain Lewis A. Tifft, also in the same capacity in the Eighth. Mr. Wells has well-developed agricul- tural tastes, and of late years has been the owner of a farm in Agawam, the products of which are of notable size and quality. Mr. Wells married Marietta Gilbert, Oct. 1, 1875, and they have one son.
GIDEON WELLS.
344
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
JOHN OLMSTED, president of the Springfield Street
Railway Company, is one of the most prominent business men of Springfield. Although past seventy- two years of age, he is one of the most active and energetic men in Western Massachusetts. He was born in Enfield, Conn., June 1, 1820, and obtained his earlier education in the schools of that town, supple- mented by courses at Wilbraham and Westfield Acade- mies. When twenty years old he was a manufacturer of tinware and a dealer in paper stock in his native town. He re- mained in this busi- ness about twelve 1 years, when he sold out on account of failing health. He lived at Somers, Conn., until 1860, when he came to Springfield, where he has since lived. In this city he formed a partnership with Lewis H. Taylor. The business was cotton batting, cot- ton waste, and paper stock. After a few years Mr. Olmsted bought Mr. Taylor's interest and con- ducted the business alone. In 1880 Frank E. Tuttle be- came associated with him, and the busi- ness soon grew to such an extent that in 1888 it was re- moved to Chicopee and organized as the Olmsted & Tuttle Company, of which Mr. Olmsted is president and Mr. Tuttle treasurer. While the cotton waste business has been Mr. Olmsted's chief interest during his resi- dence in Springfield, his success in that by no means indicates his entire activity. He has for many years been president of the Street Railway Company. Under his administration the capital stock has been increased from fifty thousand dollars to one million dollars, and
JOHN OLMSTED.
the shares have greatly increased in value. Mr. Olm- sted has been an excellent manager, both for his fellow- stockholders and for the public, who have better accom- modations than are furnished any other city of the size. In politics Mr. Olmsted is a Republican. He has never been an office seeker and a very reluctant office taker. He has served in both branches of the City Council- two years in the lower board and four years in the upper. In 1883 he was a representative to the General
Court. No man stands higher in the local business world than does Mr. Olm- sted. His word passes unchallenged, for whatever he promises he will per- form. He has borne no small part in the material develop- ment of Springfield, and is a large owner of real estate. His holdings include a valuable business block and a large number of houses and tenements. He is a director of the First National Bank, of the United Elec- tric Light Company, of the Indian Or- chard Company, of the Union Newspaper Company, trustee of the Hampden Sav- ings Bank and vice- president of the City Library Association. He is a generous donor to public and private charities, and has always taken an active interest in every move- ment having for its object the welfare and growth of Springfield. Mr. Olmsted married Rhodelia E. Lang- don, of Somers, Conn., in 1842, and to her advice and assistance he attributes largely his success in life. Mrs. Olmsted died, Sept. 29, 1891, leaving, besides her hus- band, two daughters, - Mrs. Henry J. Beebe and Mrs. Frank H. Goldthwait, both of Springfield.
345
SPRINGFIELD.
R EV. DR. WILLIAM RICE is prominently identi- fied with the literary life of Springfield. He has been secretary and librarian of the City Library Associa- tion for thirty-one years, and has had the entire charge of the selection and classification of the books. His wide range of reading, liberal views, cultivated taste and sound judgment have fitted him eminently for this work, and it is to his efforts largely that the City Library of Springfield has attained so high a rank among the libra- ries of the country. Dr. Rice was born in Springfield, March 10, 1821, the son of William and Jerusha (Warriner) Rice. He is a descendant of Edmund Rice, who settled in Sud- bury, Mass., in 1639. His father came to Springfield in 1817, Mr. Rice received his earlier education in the public schools of Springfield, after which he attended the Wesleyan Acad- emy at Wilbraham, graduating from that institution with honor at the age of nineteen. In 1841 he entered the min- istry of the Metho- dist Episcopal Church, and served as pastor of several large and influential churches. He re- tired from the active ministry in 1857, owing to impaired health, and re- turned to Springfield. Dr. Rice was elected to the General Conference of the church in 1856, and took an active part in the great controversy regarding slavery in the church. Ten years later he was again elected to the General Conference, and was a prominent member of the committee appointed for the revision of the hymn book, and was the editor under whose supervision the " Methodist Hymnal" was published. The degree of
WILLIAM RICE.
A. M. was conferred upon him by Wesleyan University of Middletown, Conn., in 1853, and in 1876 the same institution gave him the degree of D. D. For many years he has been a trustee of the university, and presi- dent of the Board of Trustees of Wesleyan Academy. He was a member of the State Board of Education for eighteen years, and for the same length of time a mem- ber of the Springfield School Board. At the last annual meeting of the City Library Association Dr. Rice was honored by a resolu- tion unanimously adopted to name the new art building after him. At Dr. Rice's urgent request this resolution was re- called, but another was adopted -that "the present library building of the City Library Association shall be known henceforth as the William Rice Build- ing, in honor of the man whose devotion to the city and the institution inspired its erection, and whose service has filled it with treas- ures of knowledge and wisdom for the free use of all the people." In 1843 Dr. Rice married Caroline L., daughter of William North, of Lowell. Their chil- dren are,- Rev. Wil- liam North Rice, Ph. D., LL. D., professor in the Wes- leyan University ; Edward H. Rice, A. M., for several years a teacher in the public schools; Rev. Charles F. Rice, A. M., a minister in the Methodist Episcopal Church ; and Caroline L. Rice, A. M., wife of Professor Morris B. Crawford, of the Wesleyan University. Dr. Rice's influence for good has been felt far beyond the limits of Springfield, with whose intellectual and moral life his name will ever be associated.
346
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
E VERETT HOSMER BARNEY, through a magnifi- cent gift to the city of Springfield, has placed his name among those that will never be forgotten. In 1882 he purchased one hundred and ten acres of land in the southern part of Springfield, adjoining what is known as Forest Park, and built a handsome residence on a site commanding a picturesque view of the Con- necticut River and valley. The grounds were laid out with artistic skill, and are adorned by many rare and valuable plants which Mr. Barney imported from Europe, Egypt, China, Japan and India. Mr. Barney intended that this beautiful home should pass to his only child, George Murray, but the young man's death in 1889, when he was only twenty-six years of age, decided Mr. Barney to present the estate to the city as a memorial of his son, reserving the right to occupy it as a home during his lifetime. By this gift, which is located ad- jacent to the already beautiful park, Springfield will have a park surpassed for rustic scenery, rare trees and plants, ponds, brooks and drives, by no other park in the country. Mr. Barney, with a rare spirit of generosity, is constantly improving his estate, and intends to have its value greatly enhanced before it goes into the possession of the city. Mr. Barney was born at Framingham, Dec. 7, 1835, the son of Jaries S. and Harriet ( Hosmer) Bar- ney. His father was a manufacturer of machinery for woollen mills at Saxonville, and made several important improvements in looms and spinning machinery, which are still used in some of the largest mills in the country.
EVERETT H. BARNEY.
Everett Hosmer was educated in the public schools and the academy at Framingham, and followed his father's business until 1851, when he engaged as a contractor on locomotive work at Hinkley & Drury's, in Boston. It was while working there that Mr. Barney conceived the idea of fastening skates by a metal clamp, dispens- ing with the old method of straps and buckles. He took out his first patent in 1864, after which followed a series of patents. In the same year James C. Warner, of Springfield, having a large government contract for guns, en- gaged Mr. Barney to complete the con - tract. At the close of the war Mr. Bar- ney turned his at - tention to his own inventions, and to the manufacture of them. He formed a partnership with Mr. Berry, an old friend who had worked with him for several years, and hired the prop- erty vacated by Mr. Warner. At the end of two years Mr. Barney bought out Mr. Berry's interest, but retained the firm name of Barney & Berry. The business grew rapidly, and Mr. Barney built the present mill, which is equipped with every modern improve- ment, and his skates have a world-wide reputation. In 1868 Mr. Barney invented a perforating machine for stamping out the amount payable on bank checks, and obtained a patent for that. The machine stamps ont any amount, and also stamps out such words as " cancelled," " paid," etc. Mr. Barney's eminent success in the business world and his public-spirited generosity conspire to make of him one of the thoroughly representative men not only of Massa- chusetts but of New England.
347
SPRINGFIELD.
R ICHARD F. HAWKINS is a man whom the citizens of Springfield have time and again sought to honor with political office, but who has steadfastly refused to step beyond the bounds of private life, excepting in two or three instances where he considered it his duty to do so. Mr. Hawkins is a representative man of the times. He was born in Lowell, Mass., March 9, 1837, but removed to Springfield with his family at an early age. When sixteen years old he was graduated from the Springfield High School and be- gan work as an office boy for Stone & Har- ris, railroad bridge builders. He con- tinued with them until 1862, when Mr. Stone retired and Mr. Hawkins, in partner- ship with D. L. Har- ris, continued the business. In 1 86 7 Mr. Harris retired, and Mr. Hawkins absorbed the entire business, under the name of the R. F. Hawkins Iron Works. He has since con- tinued the business without a change, and has greatly increased the volume of the business. When Mr. Hawkins first became a member of the firm the building of the Howe truss bridge was the principal business carried on. Prior to this time nothing but wooden bridges had been built. Mr. Haw- kins began the construction of iron bridges, and for many years has constructed only those. Mr. Hawkins is a natural mechanic, and to him should be credited in con- siderable measure the development of the use of iron as a building commodity in New England. In addition to bridges he has conceived and turned out a large quantity of the iron and steel material used in the con- struction of the railroads and locomotives of to-day.
RICHARD F. HAWKINS.
His business has grown until he is proprietor of one of the leading industries of the city. Among the structures that stand as fair examples of his work are the New Bedford and Springfield jails, which are constructed largely of iron. Among the other notable structures for which Mr. Hawkins is responsible is the Willimansett bridge, near Holyoke, eight hundred feet in length. This bridge is built of iron, and was constructed at the expense of the city of Holyoke and neighboring towns. He also constructed the North ampton bridge for the Mas- sachusetts Central Railroad. This is an iron bridge, and is one thousand five hundred feet in length. Mr. Haw- kins is a Republican, and has frequently been the choice of the party managers for mayor, but he has never been induced to accept the nomi- nation, for the reason that he would be compelled to neglect either the office or his private business. He was an alderman for three years, and is at the present time a watercommis- sioner. Mr. Haw - kins is one of the most active members of the Board of Trade and one of the direc- tors. He is also a member of the Financial Committee of the Hampden Savings Bank. Mr. Hawkins was married on Sept. 3, 1862, to Cornelia Morgan, daughter of A. B. and Sarah (Cadwell) Howe. They have five children,- Paul, Florence, Edith, Ethel and David Hawkins. In all matters relating to the scientific construction of iron bridges Mr. Hawkins is considered one of the best authorities in the country, and his opinion is held in high esteem by experts in the same line of work.
348
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
G EORGE C. FISK, the president and general manager, and the largest individual stockholder of the Wason Manufacturing Company of Springfield, was born at Hinsdale, N. H., March 4, 1831, the son of Thomas T. Fisk. He was educated in the public schools of his native town, and at the age of seventeen began work in a general store in that town. Mr. Fisk had a strong inclination toward mechanics, and in 1851 went to Springfield, where he hoped to find a better opportunity for carv- ing out his fortune than was to be found in Hinsdale. Not finding just what he wanted at first, he went West. On ar- riving at Cleveland, Ohio, he became a book agent. For some time he sold "Uncle Tom's Cabin." He returned to Springfield in 1852 and became book- keeper and pay- master for T. W. Wason & Co. In 1854 Mr. Fisk se- cured a partnership interest in the con- cern, and when the company was incor- porated he was made the treasurer. A short time afterward he was elected vice- president, and when T. W. Wason, the founder of the com- pany, died in 1870, Mr. Fisk was chosen president and general manager, which position he still holds. When Dr. J. G. Holland moved from Springfield to New York, Mr. Fisk pur- chased the poet's house, Brightwood, which is one of the finest estates in Springfield. Mr. Fisk is also half owner and president of the Fisk Soap Works, which is under the management of his brother, Roger W. Fisk ; is a large owner and president of the Springfield Steam Power Company, and proprietor of the Brightwood
GEORGE C. FISK.
Paper Mills, at Hinsdale, N. H. In 1885 Mr. Fisk built what is now known as the Casino at Brightwood, as an entertainment hall, in which entertainments for the amusement of the residents of that section of the city are frequently given. It is conducted wholly by ama- teurs, and is one of the finest private theatres in America. Brightwood, while a part of the city of Springfield, is one of the handsomest and most prosper- ous villages in New England, and its beauty and pros- perity are chiefly due to Mr. Fisk's enter- prise and public spirit. There are a number of industries located at Bright- wood, of which the Wason Manufactur- ing Company is the chief. The works, comprising some ten or twelve immense one and two story brick and frame buildings, cover about eight acres of land and are con- nected by private switch tracks with the Connecticut River Railroad, by means of which the cars constructed on the premises are shipped direct to the various roads throughout this country for which they are built, or to New York or Boston for shipment by sea to foreign countries, many of their best orders coming from Central America, the Argentine Republic, Portugal, and other distant lands, the total output averaging $700,000 per annum. The name of the Wason Mann- facturing Company is known wherever railway cars are used throughout the world. Mr. Fisk married Maria E., daughter of Daniel H. Ripley, of Springfield. They have two children, Charles A. Fisk and Mrs. O. H. Dickinson, both of Springfield.
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