USA > Massachusetts > Memorial encyclopedia of the state of Massachusetts > Part 4
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46
His home life was very beautiful, full of gentle courtesies and sweet appreciations, full of recognition of the cheer and comfort and sympathy he received. And for the rest, his charity was unbounded. There should be a host of grateful patients from whom he refused to take a penny to rise up and call him blessed. He died at far too early an age, a victim to his absorption in his work for his fellow-men, a martyr to his profession.
George Derric Billings
IT is certain that when we can truthfully say of a man that he has been markedly successful in the affairs of the world to-day, we have paid him the implied compliment of an unusual degree of strength of character and alertness of intelligence. Such was strikingly true in the carcer of the late George Herric Billings, whose death at the age of sixty-eight years removed from the community one of its most enterprising and influential
citizens.
Billings Arms .- Gules, a cross between four crosses crosslet, fitchee argent.
Crest-An arm embowed vested holding a covered cup.
There are some lives that, in their ceaseless, indefatigable energy, are the cause of wonder to their fellow-men, and might well serve as a model to all those who seek success in the business world of to-day. The men who are thus endowed undertake enterprises that would make the average man pause, ap- parently without fear of consequences, and seem immune from the sting of dis- couragement. To the business world at large Mr. Billings will be longest re- membered as the man whose career begun when a boy in the rudimental op- erations, included many promotions, and terminated with him becoming the president and director of the Compressed Steel Shafting Company of Boston. A review of his life reveals him as a man of broad mind, a business man of great ability, and an inventor of no small merit. His citizenship was of the highest order, while his private life was beyond reproach. He was held in high honor by his business associates, and his kindly, lovable nature seemed to en- dear him to all, in the various walks of life. The death of Mr. Billings oc- curred at his home on Commonwealth avenue, Boston, December 31, 1913, and came as a personal bereavement to hundreds of people, as well as a shock to the community in which he resided. Actively and daily identified with the business life of that city, in many of its lines of advancement, he became known with an intimacy that few men can boast of, and all who came in contact with him learned to know his worth, to honor and respect him, and to prize his valued friendship.
George Herric Billings was born at East Taunton, Massachusetts, Febru- ary 8, 1845, the son of Warren and Mary Frances (Caswell) Billings. His father, Warren Billings, was a prominent man in the steel industry. He was at one time identified with the Pittsburgh Steel Company, when that concern was in its infancy. Later he installed the mills for William E. Coffin, on the Cape, where George Herric Billings, then twenty-one years of age, worked un- der his father.
28
George Gerrie Billings
29
George Derric Billings
The earliest American ancestor of this branch of the family was Wil- liam White, the Pilgrim, a son of Bishop John White, of England. The pa- ternal ancestor, Roger Billings, was born in 1620, and died in 1683. He set- tled in Dorchester, Massachusetts, about the year 1638, and became promi- nent in town affairs. William Billings, a lineal descendant of Roger Billings, the emigrant ancestor, was the grandfather of George Herric Billings, and was united in marriage with Marcia Stone.
George Herric Billings, in whose memory we are writing, received his ed- ucation in the public schools of his native town of East Taunton, Massachu- setts, and in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, later attending the Massachusetts Insti- tute of Technology in Boston. His father being so closely identified with the steel industry, it was only natural that the son should begin his business career in the same line of endeavor, and accordingly, upon completing his schooling, he entered the firm of Hailman, Raum & Company in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, in 1859, where he learned a great deal pertaining to that business. Mr. Billings remained with that concern for about one year, and then became connected with the firm of Reese, Graff & Dull. In 1862 he entered the employ of Schoen- berger & Company, of Pittsburgh, iron manufacturers, and from that time on his attention was given to the study and practice of iron metallurgy and its chem- istry, as well as to various improvements in the manufacture of steel and the working of metals, especially in the processes of cold drawing and cold rolling. Mr. Billings had a wide experience in the steel manufacturing business. He began as a roll turner in the mills, and rose through the positions of chemist and mechanical engineer, later being made general manager.
In 1863, Mr. Billings removed to Boston, where he became connected with the Norway Steel and Iron Works, the firm being Naylor & Company, and there he remained for five years, meeting with success in all that he undertook. In 1868 he removed to Cincinnati, Ohio, where he entered the Globe Rolling Mills as mechanical engineer and remained there until 1872. Returning to the Norway Steel and Iron Works, Mr. Billings built and managed the com- pressed steel shafting department, and then assumed general management of these, which at that period were considered as very extensive iron works. It was only a short time before Mr. Billings became the proprietor of a factory in Boston, where he engaged in the manufacture of cold rolled and cold drawn steel and iron. He was the inventor of numerous machines used in the drawing of steel bars for shafting and finishing rods, besides having invented other improvements in machinery used in the manufacture of steel and iron. Mr. Billings was considered as an excellent authority in the manufacture of cold drawn steel, having embarked in that line of business in 1889. At the time of his death he was the president and director of the Compressed Steel Shafting Company of Boston.
The welfare of Mr. Billings' adopted city, where he became so influential a figure, was very dear to him, and he had never been a laggard when it was a
30
George Derric Billings
question of doing anything for the general advancement. He was justly re- garded as one of the most public-spirited members of the community, for he was always ready to give his aid in any form to all movements for the public good. His personality had the effect of making all those with whom he came in contact feel instinctively the value of life. In the height of his prosperity he never forgot the difficulties of his own youth and was willing to hold out a helping hand to those under him. Extensive as were his business interests, Mr. Billings, unlike many of his successful friends, never allowed his commercial pursuits to warp his generous feelings or shake his charity and faith in life and the goodness of his fellow-men. His career was a busy and useful one, and all men, himself, as well as others, benefited by it. Nor were his virtues less apparent in his family life than in his relations with the outside world. His household was made happier by his presence and his own chief pleasure was found in the intercourse of his own home.
On April 24, 1879, George Herric Billings was united in marriage, in Hal- lowell, Maine, with Hattie Ann Goodwin, a daughter of Major Goodwin and Elizabeth (Hussey) Goodwin, the latter being a native of Maine. Major Goodwin was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and was a prominent cot- ton manufacturer. Mr. and Mrs. Billings were the parents of two children: I. Kenneth Seyton, who at present is in the service of the United States Gov- ernment, and located at Washington, D. C. He succeeded his father in the steel business, to which he will no doubt return at the close of the war. He was united in marriage with Marjorie Church Fish, of Lynn, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of two children, Marjorie Fish and Martha Brewster Bill- ings. Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Seyton Billings have been making their home in Boston. 2. Edward Goodwin, who died aged one year. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. George Herric Billings has given up the residence at No. 293 Commonwealth avenue, where they resided for so many years, and now lives at No. 1035 Beacon street, in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Mr. Billings was connected with the Orpheus Musical Society, and as a member of the American Institute of Mining Engineers wrote several valuable papers, the principal being, "The Properties of Iron Alloyed with Other Met- als," which was written in 1877, and "The Preference of Tensile Resistance to Carbon as a Measure of Hardness," written in 1880, and in 1883 the follow- ing was written, "The Decrease of Ductility by Cold Rolling." Mr. Billings was also a contributor to several periodicals devoted to the manufacture of steel and iron, and was considered an expert in metallurgy. He was an extensive reader of scientific works, being a lover of all books of that nature. He was also a member of the Boston Athletic Association, the Old Colony Historical So- ciety, and the Society of The Cincinnati, founded in 1783, and is composed of descendants of officers only of Revolutionary and Colonial wars.
The value of an honorable life to a community lies not in the magnitude of business transacted, but even by that test the life of George Herric Billings
31
George Derric Billings
could stand as an example well worthy of emulation. But his usefulness to his community far transcended the sordid affairs of life, and in social life, club life and philanthropy, his interest and sympathy were constantly in evidence. His genial, friendly nature attracted a very wide circle of friends, and his death in his sixty-ninth year was a very real loss to the community.
Albert Hillard Taliley
A
MONG the business men of the city of Boston, there are not many who fill the space in the community and command the attention of the chronicler of passing events as did the late Albert Millard Wiley, a man of more than ordinary merit, and one who possessed in a special manner the confidence of his fellow-men. His large experience and great energy were signally displayed in the enterprise with which he was asso- ciated, and he was eminently a thoroughly practical and true type of the self- made man. A man whose natural abilities would secure him prominence in any community, Mr. Wiley was able to manage the affairs of the great establish- ment of which he was the head, and to successfully grapple with the vast diffi- culties which must arise from time to time. The title of an "upright merchant" is one of the most honorable that can be borne by any business man. It is a distinction won against temptations that exist only in a mercantile carcer. Not many come through a protracted course unscathed and untainted, and it is an occasion for congratulation that the commercial history of Boston shows a long list of merchants who have honored their occupations by pure lives and honest trading. Mr. Wiley was well known in the business annals of that city, and his name was written prominently among the best and most successful mer- chants of his day. Aggressive in his methods, yet cool and prudent, prompt to the moment in all his engagements, Mr. Wiley held a verbal promise as an ab- solute obligation, even in trifling matters, which probably accounted for his success in the business world. The city of Boston suffered deeply by Mr. Wi- ley's death, which occurred at the Huntington Hospital, in Boston, June 16, 1914. After an honorable life of sixty-two years he passed over the Great Di- vide into the beyond, a man honored in life, and blessed in memory. Courte- ous, friendly and the very soul of uprightness, he had many warm friends, whom he valued very highly.
The name by which Mr. Wiley became known to the world, however, was not the name he bore from birth. The place of his birth was Bridgewater, Massachusetts, where he was born November 15, 1852, son of Phillip Calvin and Mariett (Alden) King. His father was born December 31, 1827, in Raynham, Massachusetts, and died at Bridgewater, Massachusetts, March II, 1854, leaving his wife a widow with two small sons, namely: Calvin Brad- ford and Albert Millard King, our subject. Phillip Calvin King was engaged in the shoe and boot business, in Boston, and after his death the widow mar- ried Jesse Higgins Wiley, a native of Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Albert Mil- lard King then adopted the name of his stepfather, and was ever after that known as Albert Millard Wiley. On his maternal side he was the eighth gen-
32
33
Albert Willard Wiley
eration of John and Priscilla Alden, the Mayflower Pilgrims. The story of Mr. Wiley's life illustrates that undaunted courage and close application to bus- iness won for him a high place in the commercial world.
Mr. Wiley received his early education in public schools, and this was sup- plemented by attendance at the English High School in Boston, from which he graduated in 1869. At the age of eighteen he engaged in the wholesale hard- ware business, beginning at the very bottom of the ladder, and continued his connection with the same firm through its various changes. He began his re- markable career as an errand boy, with what is now known as the firm of Frye, Phipps & Company. Rising steadily from that humble position until he became a partner, Mr. Wiley's experience and sound judgment were regarded as ex- ceptionally valuable in giving advice to young men who were contemplating an entrance into business life. He had the distinction of being one of the young- est merchants at the head of one of the oldest wholesale firms in all of New England. For nearly thirty-six years Mr. Wiley had observed the many trans- formations that took place in the business, and felt assured from the signs of the times that they were entering an era of great prosperity. The firm of which Mr. Wiley was a partner had its origin over one hundred years ago, being established in 1817. Its home on Pearl street, in Boston, is a landmark in the business affairs of the district, and known throughout the country. Their trade covered all the New England States, and a large part of the country out- side. Mr. Wiley possessed in full the make-up of a successful business man. In moments of relaxation he found ample time for further mental improvement, which he never neglected.
Upon reaching the years of maturity, the natural brightness and perse- verance of Mr. Wiley at once made itself apparent, and at the age of forty years he was made a partner of the firm, with which he had become associ- ated when but eighteen years old. Always industrious, always active, the rec- ord of his life story might well be held as an example to the ambitious who wish to achieve success in a strictly honest way. Mr. Wiley was justly hon- ored for his sterling worth, high principle and unswerving integrity, and his career, from start to finish, was characterized by hard work and persistent ex- penditure of energy, so that the substantial position that he came to occupy was the obvious and appropriate reward of application and mental qualifica- tions of a very high order. His integrity and honor were never questioned and this fact, combined with his genial manner, his courtesy and consideration of all men, made him an extremely popular figure, winning for him a great host of friends.
Mr. Wiley was a man of deep though liberal religious views and feelings, the strongest proof of his inherent Christianity was the faithful life that he led. For eleven years he was treasurer of All Saints Episcopal Parish Church, in Brookline, Massachusetts, and served as chairman of the Building Fund of the American Girls' College at Constantinople, Turkey. The funeral services of Mr. Wiley were held at All Saints Parish Church, and were largely attended.
MASS .- 3-3
34
albert Willard adlilep
Mr. Wiley was a leading member of the Brae-Burn Club. He was an en- thusiastic golf-player, and it was said that there were only a few business men in Boston who were able to cope with him on the links, although he had no pretensions to professional ability. Mr. Wiley's other hobby was automobil- ing, and at every succeeding season he appeared with a new and improved ma- chine. Mr. Wiley was also a member of the Masonic Order, being a thirty- second degree Mason, and a member of the Knights Templar and Consistory. He was a prominent and active member of the New England Iron and Hard- ware Association.
Albert Millard Wiley married, October 29, 1890, Marion Pratt, a daugh- ter of Albert Stevens and Julia ( Dodd) Pratt, both of whom were highly re- spected natives of Boston. For many years Mr. Wiley and his wife passed the summer months at Bass Rock. Since the death of her husband, Mrs. Wiley has continued to reside in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Everything in the direction of success depends wholly upon the man him- self. Application to detail is what makes a successful merchant or business man, in general, and Mr. Wiley possessed this quality from early manhood. Thus did he round out his life, and to his splendid record of good citizenship and business success he added that highest praise of a true and worthy man- hood. Men like Mr. Wiley have wrought well and have left a valuable her- itage to posterity.
Edwin Smith Farmer
1258343
Edwin Smith Farmer
T HE activities of the late Edwin Smith Farmer were always along those lines which resulted in progression and improvement, and at his death, which occurred at his home in Arlington, Mas- sachusetts, November 12, 1912, his worth in the world was widely acknowledged by those among whom his active years were passed. Mr. Farmer was one of the best-balanced and most self-masterful of men, and so well acted his part in both industrial, financial and private life that Arlington, Massachusetts, was en- riched by his example, his character and his untiring labor. It is an estab- lished fact that the invariable law of destiny accords to tireless energy, indus- try and ability, a successful career, and such was the outcome of Mr. Farm- er's endeavor. He was the possessor of certain marked traits of character which justly entitle his name to a place in this memorial. He built up and sustained his business by unremittingpersonal attention, while his integrity equaled his diligence. Throughout his entire life he clung to sound principles of business, and refused to be drawn aside into any speculations, however daz- zling, choosing rather to rely for success upon the old-fashioned virtues of pru- dence, economy and diligence. To a discriminating judgment, Mr. Farmer joined a sympathetic and generous disposition. To many of those with whom he was brought into business relations, he gave needed assistance at critical times, and his outside charities were numerous and unpretentious. The fre- quent tokens of appreciation and gratitude that came to him in his later years were but the legitimate results of his own acts. By nature he was kindly and considerate to all men. Only those who were permitted to see him in his home, and surrounded by those whom he loved, can imagine how sweet was his dis- position, and how he brought happiness to those around him.
Edwin Smith Farmer was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, August 31, 1850, and lived his entire life and passed away in the same house in which he was born. He was the son of Elbridge and Dorcas W. (Smith) Farmer. His father, Elbridge Farmer, was a son of Kimball Farmer, who died July 9, 184I, at the age of fifty-one years. Elbridge Farmer was a native of Arling- ton, Massachusetts, and his wife, Dorcas W. (Smith) Farmer, was born in Lexington, Massachusetts. Elbridge Farmer was a farmer by occupation as well as by name. In 1892 he donated as an endowment to the Arlington Public Library the sum of fifty thousand dollars. His sister, Maria C. Farmer, who became the wife of Eli Robbins, donated one hundred and fifty thousand dol- lars to this same Library fund, during the year 1892. Eli Robbins was a native of West Cambridge, Massachusetts, having been born there September 22, 1821, and died in Brooklyn, New York, June 21, 1883. His wife, Maria
35
36
Edwin Smith Farmer
C. (Farmer) Robbins, was also a native of West Cambridge, born January 23, 1822, and passed away in Brooklyn, New York, March 10, 1892. The citi- zens of Arlington, Massachusetts, will be ever grateful to the Robbins family for their magnanimity and philanthropy. Coming generations will always point with pride to Arlington's beautiful Library and Town Hall. The Li- brary Building was erected by Maria C. Robbins in memory of her husband, Eli Robbins, and the Town Hall was erected under the supervision of Ida, Eliza and Caira Robbins, in memory of their cousin, Winfield Robbins.
Edwin Smith Farmer attended the public schools of the place of his birth, and also the old Cotton High School there. When still a lad, he displayed an unusual amount of ambition by working for George Hill, for whom he drove market wagons. He, prior to that, spent his leisure hours in company with his father, who was the owner of a large farm. Thus his childhood was passed in the surroundings which have given to America its finest type of citizen and many of its greatest men. When not actually engaged at his studies in the common schools of Arlington, Mr. Farmer assisted his father in the work of the farm, which undoubtedly did much toward insuring him the splendid health which he enjoyed in later life and which was such a valuable asset to him. His schooling was slender, but his ambition as a child was great and he sought in independent reading and study the education which he wished. Mr. Farmer continued the work on the farm after his father's retirement, and some time after this carried on this line of endeavor for himself. Later he conducted the duties of the farm in partnership with Walter H. Pierce, the farm being known as the "Foot of the Rock Farm." This was always Mr. Farmer's home, and when his partnership with Mr. Pierce expired, he leased the farm, and from that time until his death he was not actively engaged in business pursuits of any nature. Mr. Farmer was very fond of out-door work, and this probably lay at the bottom of his success in the life he had chosen. As he grew older, he gave the same conscientious care to every detail as he had done in his younger days. It was his desire that the work he had to do should be done properly, however great might be the fatigue and discomfort to himself.
Politically, Mr. Farmer was a Republican in his party affiliation, and in 1895 was chosen as one of the selectmen of the town of Arlington, Massa- chusetts, serving continuously in this capacity until the year 1904. He ren- dered the town of his birth splendid service in the several departments under the special oversight of that body. Many people from the different walks of life were brought in close connection with Mr. Farmer, while he held this posi- tion, and all respected and honored him. His personal attributes were such as to make him very dear to all, and he was naturally a leader of men in business as well as in political life. He was always affable, courteous and a gentleman, and those who were so fortunate as to have been associated with him in any way have and will feel his loss keenly.
Mr. Farmer occupied an important place in the financial circles of Arling- ton, Massachusetts, having been at the time of his death a director of the First
37
Edwin Smith Farmer
National Bank, in which capacity he served from September, 1903, to 1912. He was also a trustee of the Arlington Five Cent Savings Bank, being chosen to fill this position in 1903. In early life, Mr. Farmer had joined Bethel Lodge, No. 12, of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which lodge he held many important offices. In his religious belief, he was a Universalist, and a con- sistent attendant of the Universalist Church in Arlington, to the support of which he contributed most liberally, giving both of his time and means.
Mr. Farmer had traveled extensively, from which he derived great pleas- ure. In 1910, with a party of congenial friends, he journeyed into the far North, spending some time in the land of the "Midnight Sun," from where he brought home some handsome and valuable evidences of his skill with the rifle. Mr. Farmer took a deep interest in the Symmes Hospital project, and was al- ways a liberal and generous contributor where funds were generally needed. About ten days before his death he had returned from a hunting trip in the woods of the State of Maine. His passing away came as a shock and a sur- prise to the town of Arlington, in general. During the day of the funeral flags on all public buildings were at half mast out of respect and admiration to the departed one.
Edwin Smith Farmer was united in marriage, in December, 1875, with Abbie Francena Locke, who was born in Winchester, Massachusetts, a daugh- ter of Josiah and Priscilla (Symmes) Locke. Josiah Locke was a native of Winchester, which was then known as Woburn, Massachusetts, and his wife was born in Arlington, which was then Charlestown, Massachusetts. Mr. Locke was a farmer, and both he and his wife were members of prominent families.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.