USA > Massachusetts > Massachusetts of today; a memorial of the state, historical and biographical, issued for the World's Columbian exposition at Chicago > Part 48
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380
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
JUDGE MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN, former libra- rian of the Boston Public Library, was born at Pembroke, N. H., June 4, 1821, and graduated at Dart- mouth College in 1844. After teaching several years in Brattleboro, Vt., he entered the Dane Law School at Cambridge, where he received the degree of LL. B., ยท and in 1849 he began the study of law in Boston. The same year he took up his residence in Chelsea, where he still makes his home. He has served the city in several
capacities. In 1858 and 1859 he was representative in the General Court and member of the Special Committee on the Revision of the Statutes. In 1863 and 1864 he was in the State Sen- ate, and in the latter year was chairman of the Judiciary Com- mittee. From 1866 to 1878 he was a judge, and during part of that period, chief justice of the Municipal Court of the city of Boston, to which he brought erudition and judi- cial capacity. ^ In August, 1878, he was elected librarian-in- chief of the Boston Public Library. His familiarity with books and literature and executive ability en- abled him to dis- charge with credit the responsible duties of that office, until, by reason of ill-health, he retired, Oct. 1, 1890. The professional and public duties of Judge Chamber- lain left him little time for other work ; but after com- ing to the Public Library, frequent demands were made upon him for various papers which have been published, and have evinced research, learning, originality and critical acuteness, while proving that in the field of New England history he has few living superiors.
MELLEN CHAMBERLAIN.
Among his printed papers are : "History of Winnisim- met, Rumney Marsh and Pullen Point" (1880) ; " Daniel Webster as an Orator " (1882) ; "John Adams, the Statesman of the Revolution" (1884) ; " Samuel Maverick's Palisade House of 1630" (1885) ; " The Authentication of the Declaration of Inde- pendence " (1881) ; "Address at the Dedication of Wilson Hall" (Dartmouth College Library, 1885) ; "Notes to Sewall's Letter-book" (1886) ; " The His- tory of the United States : A Review of McMasters' History" (1886) ; "Land - scape in Life and Poetry" (1886) ; " Remarks at the Dedication of the Statue of Daniel Webster, at Concord, N. H." (1886) ; "Address at the Dedication of the Brooks Library Building, at Brattle- boro, Vt." (1887) ; "Constitutional Re- lations of the Ameri- can Colonies to the English Government at the Commence- ment of the Revolu- tion " (1887) ; "The Revolution Impend- ing : with a Critical Essay" (1888) ; " Josiah Quincy, the Great Mayor" (1889); "Remarks on the New Histori- cal School " (1890) ; "Governor Winthrop's Estate, 1638-1639" (1891) and "The Genesis of the Massachusetts Town and 'Town Government " (1892). Judge Chamberlain is a corresponding member of the Royal Society of North- ern Antiquaries at Copenhagen, Denmark, and of the New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania and Massa- chusetts historical societies. In 1885 he received the degree of L.L. D. from Dartmouth. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
381
CHELSEA.
T HOMAS MARTIN is closely identified with the progress and development of the elastic fabric industry in the United States, and is to-day the head of one of the largest manufacturing houses in this country. In England he served an apprenticeship of over five years, being among the pioneers in the elastic fabric business at a time when vulcanized rubber was not gen- erally used. When twenty-three years of age he was engaged by an American syndicate to manage an elastic web mill at East- hampton, Mass., which was then the only one in the coun- try. Three years later he came to Chelsea as the man- ager of a larger mill, remaining in that po- sition nine years, and relinquishing it to engage in business for himself. The new firm took the name of T. Martin & Brother, and em- ployed twelve hands. The business rapidly increased. To-day the firm, which is now incorporated, occupies five mills in Chelsea, one in Mans- field, Ohio, and another in Canada. In Chelsea over three hundred and fifty hands are employed, and the pay-roll of the operatives ex- ceeds one hundred and fifty thousand dollars per annum. Mr. Martin is also president of the Chelsea Wire Fabric Company, which manufactures general mechanical goods ; he is president of the First National Bank of Chelsea ; is the president, and was one of the founders, of the Provident Co-operative Bank, which has now invested over two hundred thousand dollars ; is a trustee of the Chelsea Savings Bank, vice-president of the Frost Hospital and a trustee of Bates College, Lewiston, Me. Mr. Martin
THOMAS MARTIN.
was councilman in 1879-80, alderman in 1881-82, and representative to the lower branch of the Massachusetts Legislature in 1883, declining a renomination on account of failing health and his wife's death, and going abroad, travelling through England and the continent. Mr. Martin was born in Leicestershire, England, in 1839, being the eldest of twelve children. He had the advan- tage only of the common school, and before he was twelve years old went to work; but his desire for edu- cation and advance- ment was so strong that while tending his loom he also studied his arithme- tic. He married in 1860, and of the union three children were born, two of whom are now living. In the summer of 1885 Mr. Martin erected in Chelsea the Horace Memo- rial Hall, in memory of his eldest son, Horace Binney, who had died the previ- ous spring in his twenty-first year. Later the building was deeded to the trustees of the Horace Memorial Free Baptist Church Society as a place of worship. The church was organized through the help of Mr. Martin, and now numbers over ninety church members and one hundred and seventy-five in the Sunday school. Two years ago, when the church attendance had outgrown the size of the building and it became necessary to enlarge it, Mr. Martin generously duplicated the amount raised by the church society for the purpose. In 1884 Mr. Martin married Miss Frances Jarrett, of Lincoln, England, a very accomplished lady. and one who carried off first honors on her graduation from Queen's College.
382
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
T THOMAS STRAHAN is the proprietor of the only wall-paper factory in the New England States, and the works enjoy the enviable distinction of produ- cing some of the finest and most artistic wall-paper decorations in the United States. The products of his skill find a ready market in every important city of the Union. Mr. Strahan was born near Stirling, Scotland, on May 10, 1847, being the son of Thomas and Jean (Gordon) Strahan. His early education was obtained in the public schools of Arlington, Mass., and afterward he at- tended the Cotting Academy in Arling- ton, and Phillips Exeter Academy, graduating from both institutions with hon- ors. He took a collegiate course, in- tending to study for the ministry, but by mere accident these intentions were aban- doned, and at the age of nineteen he commenced an ac- tive business life, - first in a small way as a dealer in wall paper on Cornhill in Boston. His busi- ness, however, rap- idly increased, and he removed to Hor- ticultural Hall build- ing, and subse - quently to a still larger and more com- modious store at the corner of Washington and Franklin streets. Although meeting with great success in his business career, he was not satisfied merely to buy and sell goods, but con- menced manufacturing wall paper, and now has an ex- tensive factory in Chelsea. His Boston office is in Ticknor House, No. 9 Park Street. He has been granted valuable patents, both in the United States and Great Britain, on new and novel processes for the blending of colors in the manufacturing of his goods, and also for
converting cotton materials and jute fabrics, making them appear like silk damask, and having all the value for wall hangings of the genuine silk fabrics. While still carrying on a large and successful business Mr. Strahan has found time to engage in social and political affairs. He is a prominent Mason and Odd Fellow, and is a member of a large number of social and fraternal societies, and he has been at the head of the various organizations with which he has been connected. In politics he is a stanch Republican, and has been many times honored by his party. In 1879 Mr. Strahan was elected to the Common Council of Chelsea, and was re-elected successively three years, the last two years of which he was president of that body. In 1883 he was elected mayor, and the year follow- ing was re-elected. He has also ably rep- resented his district in the State Legisla- ture. Mr. Strahan has been chairman of the School Commit- tee, a trustee of the public library, and is now and has been for many years a trus- tee of the Chelsea Savings Bank. On Nov. 28, 1867, Mr. Strahan was married in Chelsea to Esther, daughter of John T. and Esther Lawrence, and of this union were six children, two of whom are living, Florence Esther and Alice Pauline. Mr. Strahan has long been noted as a genial host, and his beautiful and artistic residence on the summit of Mount Bellingham, overlooking miles of city and coun- try, ocean and river, has been the scene of many distin- guished social gatherings. In the social life of Chelsea Mr. Strahan is one of the prominent figures.
THOMAS STRAHAN.
383
CHELSEA.
C' HARLES A. CAMPBELL is the senior member of the firm of C. A. Campbell & Co., one of the largest coal concerns in the State. The wharves of the company in Chelsea are considered as being the best equipped of any in New England, and more coal is handled annually by them than at the wharf of any other dealer in the Commonwealth. Mr. Campbell is largely interested in shipping, and is treasurer and general manager of the Boston Lighter Company. He is also first vice-president of the County Savings Bank, and a director in the Winnisimmet Company and the First National Bank. Mr. Campbell was born in Boston, Nov. 6, 1837, and when two years of age his parents removed to Chelsea. He at- tended the Chelsea public schools, grad- uated from the high school and then went West, where he re- mained four years, engaging in the lumber business in Chicago. Returning to Chelsea, he began in the coal business with his father at the same wharf now occupied by him, on July 1, 1859. Mr. Campbell was mar- ried on Jan. 1, 1861, to Miss Lavinia Hutchinson, and to them two children have been born, - Alice, now the wife of Judge Albert Bosson, and Jeremiah, who is now in business with his father. Early in 1862, a public meeting was held in City Hall for the purpose of con- sidering war measures, and before the meeting was over Mr. Campbell became one of a number that volunteered to raise a company in Chelsea to send to the front. The ranks were filled with young men from the best families of the city. Mr. Campbell enlisted for three years
CHARLES A. CAMPBELL.
as a private, and in July, 1862, the newly-organized body became Company G, Fortieth Regiment. He served in the Army of the Potomac, in the Department of the South, and took part in many skirmishes and engagements, including the capture of Charleston Harbor and the fall of Fort Wagner. He rose to sergeant, regimental quartermaster sergeant, and was commissioned lieuten- ant. In the spring of 1864 he was taken seriously ill and was obliged to return North. On the recovery of his health he was commissioned by Govenor John A. Andrew captain for the recruiting service. He is now a member of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion, and of Theodore Winthrop Post 35, Grand Army of the Republic, of Chelsea. Ever since the organ- ization of the Repub- lican party, Mr. Campbell has been one of its ardent supporters, and to the several offices he has held he has been elected as a Republi- can. He was coun- cilman from 1868 to 1872, alderman in 1873 and 1875, and in 1883 was elected to the State Senate from a district that had previously been Democratic. Mr. Campbell is now one of the trustees of the Fitz Public Library. In all that pertains to the welfare of Chelsea, he is much interested and very active. Mr. Campbell has been president of the Review Club, and has always taken a prominent part in the affairs of this social institution. He is a member of Robert Lash Lodge of Masons, and of Winnisimmet Lodge of Odd Fellows. His successful business career, his public ser- vices and his honorable war record render Mr. Camp- bell one of the conspicuous figures in the city.
384
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
D' R. WILLIAM CLARK CUTLER, the leading practitioner of medicine and surgery in Chelsea, has been for twenty-six years a familiar figure on the streets of the city and in the homes of the people. The ancestors of Dr. Cutler came from England in 1637 and settled near Boston. Manasseh Cutler, LL. D., M. D., was one of the organizers of the old Ohio Company in 1786. Rev. A. P. Peabody, D. D., of Cambridge, Mass., has written of him: "For diversity of good gifts, for their efficient use, and for the variety of modes of valuable service to his coun- try and to mankind, Idoubt whether Manasseh Cutler has his equal in Ameri- can history." The grandfather of Dr. Cutler, Hon. Elihu Cutler, of Holliston, Mass., was a member of the Constitutional Convention of 1820, a representative in 1827, and State sen- ator in 1831 to 1835. His father, Simeon Newton Cutler, a large mill-owner in Holliston and Ash- land, was for many years in political office. He was elected to the State Legislature and Con- stitutional Conven- tion in 1853. Dr. Cutler was born in Holliston, Mass., May 17, 1837. His preliminary education was received in the Ashland High School and Mt. Hollis Seminary, Holliston. Hle graduated from the old Laight Street Medical College in New York in 1859, and began prac- tice in Upton, Mass., in 1860. In 1866 he removed to Chelsea. He is a member of the American Institute of Homeopathy, the Massachusetts and Boston Homee- opathic Medical societies, vice-president of the Medical Board of the Rufus S. Frost General Hospital ; a director
WILLIAM C. CUTLER.
in the Winnisimmet National Bank, and a trustee of the County Savings Bank. He was one of the founders of the Review Club, and its president in 1875. In Free- masonry he has attained the thirty-second degree. In politics he is an old-line Democrat. He has always declined to accept political office. In 1871, when the great small-pox epidemic was spreading over the coun- try, Dr. Cutler began the propagation of bovine vaccine virus. This new departure was marked with gratifying success and has given the doctor a national reputation, making his name, in connec- tion with the New England Vaccine Company, known to the medical profes- sion throughout the world. In 1883 he visited the extreme southern coast of Florida, a section then comparatively unknown. So favor- ably was he impressed with this locality that he made purchases of land and founded the town of Cutler on the coast of Bis- cayne Bay. He has a large plantation of tropical fruits, also a steam starch factory. In 1889 he was com- missioned by a syn- dicate of Boston capitalists to investi- gate and report upon a large iron and coal property in Kentucky, as a result of which there is to-day the new and thriving manufacturing city of Grand Rivers, Ky., with its millions of invested capital and a population of several thousands. The doctor's chief recreation is in the saddle. Genial, kind-hearted and generous, he is beloved by a large circle of patients and friends. In cach of the widely differing fields of medi- cine and of business affairs Dr. Cutler has achieved a pronounced success.
385
CHELSEA.
G EORGE W. MOSES is president of the First Ward National Bank in East Boston, and his rise to this position has been the result of his own faithfulness, energy, business and financial ability. Colonel Moses was born in Boston, May 16, 1852, and in that city's schools he obtained his earlier education. When he was twelve years of age he moved with his parents to Chelsea, where he has ever since continued to make his home. He attended the Chelsea public schools, graduated from the grammar school when fifteen years of age, and immediately went to work as messenger boy for the Western Union Telegraph Company, their office at that time being located in the old post-office building. After six months he was taken into the post-office as clerk, and from that position he rose to the head clerk- ship. He held that position for four years. In 1872 he became a book- keeper in the First National Bank of Chelsea, and here he was promoted successively to the positions of head book - keeper, teller, and assistant cashier. In 1881 he was called to the position of cashier of the First Ward National Bank in East Boston, and on the death of the bank's president, Mr. S. H. Whidden, which occurred in June, 1892, Mr. Moses was unanimously elected pres- ident. Mr. Moses is vice-president and one of the investing committee of the County Savings Bank of Chelsea, president both of the Pennock Electric Light and Railway Company of Massachusetts, and of the Chelsea Real Estate Association. The latter is a com- pany of one hundred of the leading business men,
formed for the purpose of buying and developing real estate in Chelsea. Mr. Moses holds many important positions in Chelsea business circles. Since 1882 he has been treasurer and managing director of the Chelsea Gas Light Company, and since 1883 has been the treas- urer and a director of the Winnisimmet Company, propri- etors of the Chelsea ferry. In 1885 he was elected by the Chelsea City Council as one of the sinking fund commissioners, and twice since then he has been re- elected. This is the only elective public office he has held. His inclinations are not in that direction, although for ten years he served on the Republican City Committee, and la- bored most diligently for the success of that party. In 1889 Mr. Moses received an appointment on the staff of Governor J. Q. A. Brackett as assistant quartermas- ter-general, with the rank of colonel, be- ing the first man in Chelsea to be thus honored during the past half century. The following year, when the Governor Brackett Staff Asso- ciation was formed, Colonel Moses was elected secretary, and still continues as such. For twenty years Colonel Moses has been a member of the Review Club, Chelsea's largest social organization, and has served five years as one of its directors, and one year as its president. He is a member of the Masonic frater- nity and of the Royal Arcanum. In 1876 Colonel Moses married Miss Susie A. Ricker, of Chelsea, and to them three children have been born. In promoting the development of Chelsea's resources Colonel Moses has been for many years a prominent and leading factor.
GEORGE W. MOSES.
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386
MASSACHUSETTS OF TO-DAY.
JUDGE ALBERT D. BOSSON enjoys the double D distinction of being the only Democratic mayor Chelsea has ever had, and of being the only Democratic judge to preside over the police court. His election to the mayoralty in the fall of 1890 marked a new era in the city. He brought to the position great financial and executive ability, and with his administration is linked the honor and credit of refunding the city debt, reducing the total face debt from $1,600,000 to $800,000. At the close of his term he was tendered a re- nomination, but de- clined it on account of his private busi- ness demanding more of his time. In July, 1892, he was appointed justice of the police court of Chelsea by Gov- ernor William E. Russell, the appoint- ment being a de- served promotion from special justice of the court, to which position he was ap- pointed by Governor John D. Long in December, 1882. Judge Bosson is trustee of a num- ber of estates, inelnd- ing that of the late Isaac Stebbins, the largest in the city, and which, after the death of the present beneficiaries, will be- come the property of the city. Judge Bosson is the president of the County Savings Bank, was one of the originators of the Provident Co-operative Bank, is vice-president of the Winnisimmet National Bank, treas- urer of the Gloucester Street Railway Company, and a director in several other corporations. Judge Bosson is the son of George C. and Jennie Hood Bosson, and the grandson of Jonathan D. Bosson, who were for. many years prominent residents of Chelsea, where
ALBERT D. BOSSON.
Judge Bosson was born, Nov. 8, 1853. His grandfather served in the war of 1812, while his four great-grand- fathers were soldiers in the Revolution, of whom two fought in the battle of Bunker Hill; his ancestor, Cap- tain Samuel Flint, was killed at Stillwater, and his great- grandfather, Warwick Palfrey, was the first collector of the port of Salem, under the Continental Congress. Judge Bosson attended the Chelsea public schools, grad- uated from the high school in 1869, spent two years at Phillips (Exeter) Academy and the Brown University Grammar School at Providence, and then entered Brown Uni- versity, graduating therefrom in the class of 1875. He read law in the office of Brooks, Ball & Story in Boston, and at the Boston Uni- versity Law School, and on Feb. 18, 1878, was admitted to the bar. In May, 1887, he married Miss Alice 1 .. , daugh- ter of Hon. C. A. Campbell, and to them one child has been born. Judge Bosson has travelled extensively and spent much time abroad. He is a member of the New England Historic Genealogi- cal Society, and president of the Re- view Club, the principal social club of the city. Judge Bosson was originally a Republican, but in 1884 he became one of the famous Committee of One Hundred which opposed the candidacy of Mr. Blaine in that year, and his convictions have since led him to advocate the principles of the Democratic party. As lawyer, mayor, judge and financier, no man in Chelsea is more highly esteemed by all classes in the community, and by men of all parties, than Judge Bosson.
387
CHELSEA.
E LMER L. FRENCH is the junior member of the firm of French Brothers, grocers and provision dealers, and is one who has done much toward the development of high-speed sailing vessels. He is owner in some of the fastest pilot boats in Eastern waters. Mr. French was born, Oct. 11, 1858, in Glover, Vt., on the farm which was cleared by his great-grandfather in the middle of the last century, and which has since remained in the possession of the family. His great-grandfather fought in the French and Indian wars, and participated in many engagements on Ver- mont soil. His boy- hood was passed on the farm, and attend- ing the district school in the winter. When twenty years of age he left the farm and procured a situation in the provision store of his uncle, Mr. Z. H. French, on Han- over Street, Boston. After he had been in the store four years his uncle was killed in a railroad acci- dent. A partnership was formed between Mr. French and an older brother, Mr. Byron L. French, and they succeeded to the business. To- day they are the pro- prietors of what is probably the largest retail provision busi- ness in Boston. Their store is located at Nos. 390, 392 and 394 Hanover Street. The firm supplies many of the lines of steamers plying between Boston and London, Liverpool, Antwerp, and the Provinces. Mr. French is a member of the Chamber of Commerce and the Fruit and Produce Exchange of Boston. Mr. French is largely interested in shipping and ship-build- ing, being the owner in fourteen different vessels, includ- ing the pilot boats "Hesperus," "Sylph " and "Friend,"
ELMER L. FRENCH.
all of which are among the fastest and best modelled boats in Massachusetts Bay. The four-masted schooner "Elvira J. French," fifteen hundred tons' burden, is named in honor of his mother. Mr. French married Miss Edna F. Simmons, of Southbridge, Mass., in 1875, and the same year made his home in Chelsea, where he continues to reside. In politics he is a Republican. As such he was elected to the Common Council in 1884 and 1885. He was a member of the Board of Aldermen in 1886, 1887 and 1888. While a member of the latter body he was chairman of the Committee on Pub- lic Property, and under his direction the Broadway engine house and the Bloom- ingdale school-house were built, while the Shurtleff, Shawmut and Cary school- houses were entirely renovated and re- built. Mr. French is a prominent mem- ber of the Review Club. In Free- masonry he is an enthusiast. He is a member of Robert Lash Lodge, F. and A. M., of which he was for two years worshipful master. He is also a mem- ber of Naphtali Council ; Shekinah Chapter of the Royal Arch Masons, and Palestine Commandery, Knights Templar of Chelsea; Lafayette Lodge of Perfection ; Mt. Olivet Chapter of Rose Croix ; Giles F. Yates Council, Princes of Jerusalem ; Massachusetts Consistory, and Aleppo Temple of the Mystic Shrine of Boston. He is a member of Massachusetts Lodge of Odd Fellows and of the Royal Arcanum. With his business associates of Boston Mr. French is as popular as he is in the social life of Chelsea.
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