USA > Massachusetts > Suffolk County > Boston > Metropolitan Boston; a modern history; Volume V > Part 35
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Cedar Grove Cemetery was established in 1868, only three years after the close of the Civil
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War, and was first known as the Dorchester Cemetery. The first burial there was made in 1870, and two years later, in 1872, Dorchester became a part of the city of Boston. In 1887, the company owning the cemetery was incorpo- rated by an act of the Legislature, the owners being designated as the Proprietors of the Cedar Grove Cemetery, which name had been adopted in 1872. The cemetery is a large one, compris- ing sixty acres, and at this writing (1928) nearly twenty thousand people are buried there. Since taking his present position as superintendent, Mr. Caldwell has made numerous improvements in the methods of management and the keeping of records, one of the most important being the installation of a card record, by means of which, at a moment's notice, the location of any burial may be ascertained. He has greatly improved the grounds, constantly beautifying and making many changes in the landscaping, until today Cedar Grove Cemetery is among the most beautiful in the State of Massachusetts. During the twenty-one years of Mr. Caldwell's superintendency, more than twelve thousand new graves have been made and the work of caring for the cemetery has been greatly in- creased. The cemetery management and the owners of individual plots are well content with the service which is being rendered, and as the years pass, Mr. Caldwell is giving more and more time to the task of making and keeping this burial place a scene of peaceful beauty to which those who mourn their dead may come as to a shrine, receiving through the beauty spread about them a message of peace and of hope.
Fraternally, Mr. Caldwell is identified with St. John's Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Mount Vernon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; and Boston Council, Royal and Select Masters. He is also a member of Norfolk Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows; and his re- ligious membership is with the Central Con- gregational Church, in the work of which he has for some years taken an active part, also in the affairs of the Sunday school and the church choir, in which he sang for a number of years.
Pearl J. Caldwell was married (first), in 1896, to Agnes Hopkins Hanson, who died in 1906; he married (second), in 1916, Mabel Hilt. His residence is at No. 1101 Adams Street, Dor- chester.
NILES H. MATTSON-For more than forty years Niles H. Mattson has been using his technical knowledge as a landscape gardener and his skill in growing plants and shrubbery in the task of beautifying Newton Cemetery. Located on a beautiful stretch of land near the geographical center of the city of Newton, the natural beauty of the large acreage of this burial ground made it an ideal tract for the development of one of the most beautiful ceme- teries, and the skillful work and artistic taste which have enhanced the natural loveliness of the grounds have, indeed, made it a place of rare beauty.
The history of Newton Cemetery goes back to 1855, when a few public-spirited citizens banded themselves together to set aside some suitable resting place for the dead. Twenty-two acres of the present cemetery were consecrated at that time, and two years later a corporation was started, with Dr. Henry Bigelow as its first president. Dr. Bigelow took a most active and lasting interest in the development of the burial place, and it was largely through his efforts that Newton Cemetery has attained its present size and beauty. He was ably seconded by the superintendent, Mr. Henry Ross, who served until his death in 1899, and by Charles W. Ross, assistant superintendent until 1891. H. Wilson Ross, the present superintendent, has continued the policies adopted at the beginning, and im- provement and enlargement have been steady. The trustees have from time to time purchased adjoining land, until the corporation now (1928) owns one hundred and fifteen acres, of which about seventy acres have been laid out in attrac- tive lots. A substantial and attractive admin-
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istration building adds greatly to the beauty of the entrance and also provides security for the records. A beautiful Gothic chapel and con- servatory, erected in 1885, through the gen- erosity of Hon. John S. Farlow, commemorates the work of Dr. Henry Bigelow. Mr. Farlow's children later endowed the chapel for $10,000, and this addition to the usefulness of the cem- etery is an important one. A modern receiving tomb provides for temporary care of bodies, and the regulations governing all these con- veniences are such as to give the largest pos- sible usefulness to the public. The price of lots includes perpetual care of grass and monu- ments, and a perpetual fund has been estab- lished for the renewal of monumental work when it becomes broken or decayed. Forest trees and handsome shrubbery scattered over hills and quiet valleys and along streams and ponds, give to this resting place a beauty unexcelled in any burial ground of its size in the country, and the skillful enhancement of natural features which has created this loveliness has been largely the work of Niles H. Mattson, in co- operation with the superintendent, H. Wilson Ross. For nearly forty years Mr. Mattson has given his entire time and attention to the work of beautifying these grounds.
Niles H. Mattson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1863. His father was the superin- tendent of large estates in Stockholm, and re- mained there during his entire life, but the son came to this country as a boy and located in Needham, Massachusetts, where he entered the employ of his uncle, who was engaged in the greenhouse business. During the years of his association with his uncle he thoroughly learned the business and became proficient in the culti- vation of plants and shrubs. It was this skill and knowledge which brought him to Newton Cemetery, in 1887, at the age of twenty-four years, and for several years following that date he had charge of the landscape gardening work in the cemetery, planting trees, shrubs, and flowers, thus adding to its beauty. The work proved to be very congenial and Mr. Mattson's skill and interest were most acceptable to the authorities, and after twenty-one years of serv-
ice in this capacity he was made assistant super- intendent in 1908. Since that time, working in association with the superintendent, H. Wilson Ross, he has practically had charge of all plant- ing and decorating, grading of lots, and laying out of roads and paths, and the present loveli- ness of the grounds is eloquent testimony to his skill and faithful work.
PATRICK J. BRADY-Thirty-eight years of successful operation as funeral director and mortician, has placed Patrick J. Brady, of For- est Hills, Massachusetts, among the leaders of his profession.
Patrick J. Brady is the son of Bernard Brady, who was born in Ireland, and spent his life there. He attended the common schools of his native district and as a young man engaged in business as a cattle dealer, which he followed throughout his life, dying at the age of eighty- five years. He married Rose Magee, who died at the age of thirty-seven years, and they had seven children, of whom only two are living (1928): Patrick J., see next paragraph, and Mrs. Rose Barnes, who resides in Dorchester.
Patrick J. Brady was born in Ireland, March 16, 1869, and came to this country while a child, locating in Boston, where he attended the Dear- born School, from which he later graduated. He then secured a position as clerk in the employ of the Payson Sporting Goods Company, but later he entered the employ of Dr. Stedman, with whom he remained until he entered the un- dertaking business in 1890. That was thirty- eight years ago, and during all that time he has continued in this profession, building up a suc- cessful business. In 1924 he built a block on Washington Street, of which he occupies the first floor. This floor was built especially to meet the needs of his business, and has been well planned for that purpose, and in addition to its special built-in features is scientifically equipped with every modern device for efficient
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work. It has a large chapel and showroom and an office which is harmoniously furnished. All these are conveniently located with reference to each other and to the needs of the business, and in this carefully planned establishment Mr. Brady takes care of a large amount of business. Tactful and sympathetic, possessed of a per- sonality which is pleasing and dignified, his long experience in this business has taught him how to meet his patrons, who come to him in times of deep grief and suffering for his services, and his tact and skill in handling these situations is well known.
Along with the successful management of his business, Mr. Brady, who is a member of the Democratic party, has found time for active participation in political affairs, and for many years he took a very active part in the cam- paigns, among which may be mentioned those for the election of ex-Mayor Fitzgerald, ex- Mayor Curley, and Senator David I. Walsh. He was a delegate from Massachusetts to each of the two National conventions which nominated President Wilson, also the National Conven- tion in New York City in 1924, and had he not been absent on a trip to Europe would have served as delegate at the Democratic National Convention in Houston, Texas, in 1928, which nominated Governor Alfred E. Smith. At that time, however, Mr. Brady was making an ex- tended tour of Continental Europe, covering a period of two months, and on this trip visited Ireland, going to the scenes of his boyhood and giving himself the pleasure of visiting some parts of Ireland which he had never seen be- fore. Mr. Brady is a director of the Jamaica Plain Trust Company, also Forest Hills Co- operative Bank. He is a member of Boston Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks; the Knights of Columbus; Massachu- setts Catholic Order of Foresters; Ancient Order of Hibernians; Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and of numerous other societies and organizations; and his religious affiliation is with St. Andrew's Church.
Patrick J. Brady was married, in 1887, to Mary Margaret Young, who was born in Can- ada, and they are the parents of eight children,
of whom four are living (1928): 1. Mrs. Dr. Harold E. Nash, and she has three children: Harold, Jr., May, and Francis. 2. Mrs. Henry Harnez. 3. Thomas, who is associated with his father in the undertaking business; married Lil- lian Long. 4. Vincent D., a civil engineer, mar- ried Miss Kelley. One daughter, Mrs. Mc- Carty, died, leaving one son, Francis. Mr. Brady's business is located at No. 3722 Wash- ington Street, and the family home is at No. 105 Walkill Street, Forest Hills.
LEWIS H. ADAMS-The oldest embalming and funeral directing establishment in Roslin- dale is that which Lewis H. Adams has been successfully taking care of since the death of his brother, Alfred D. Adams, in 1918. Mr. Adams has been connected with this particular undertaking concern since 1901, having learned the business with his brother, and during the ten years which have passed since he took en- tire charge he has greatly developed the busi- ness. The establishment is located at No. 4236 Washington Street, in Roslindale, and is one of the leading concerns of its kind in the city.
For a time after leaving school the brothers, Alfred D. and Lewis H. Adams, were engaged in the drug business, but the elder brother finally decided to engage in the embalming and funeral directing business, and in 1901 he started in business for himself, with his younger brother as an assistant. Alfred D. Adams con- tinued successfully in this business in Roslin- dale until the time of his death in 1918, at which time the younger brother took over the busi- ness which he has since conducted alone. The establishment is located in a completely remod- elled building and both the housing and its equipment are thoroughly modern and in keep- ing with the most advanced methods and prac- tices in the art of embalming. The business, which is the oldest undertaking concern in Roslindale, is conducted on non-sectarian prin-
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ciples, and both Catholics and Protestants are among Mr. Adams' patrons. The special char- acteristics which make for success in this pro- fession are possessed by Mr. Adams in a high degree, and he is known not only as a skilled mortician, but also as a funeral director of in- tuitive consideration and of unusual ability. His concern ranks as one of the leading establish- ments of the city and he includes among his patrons many of the most prominent families of the community. Mr. Adams is a member of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors' Association, and of the local Board of Trade, and is affiliated with numerous fraternal organizations.
JOHN C. MULRY-Within the short space of three years John C. Mulry has established and built up a very successful embalming and funeral directing business in Dorchester. He is a graduate of the New England Institute of Embalming and also of the chemical department of that institution, and since the completion of his training in 1925 he has been located at No. 1811 Dorchester Avenue, in Dorchester. Mr. Mulry is a veteran of the World War with two years in the Naval Air Service to his credit, and is popular in his profession as well as among those with whom he is associated in other con- nections.
John C. Mulry was born in Dorchester, Mass- achusetts, May 24, 1897, of Irish parentage. His father, who was born in Ireland but came to America at an early age, possesses the initia- tive and energy which is characteristic of his race and also has the characteristic interest in civic and political affairs. That interest has been continued and for many years he has been in the employ of the government, in the postoffice department. The son, John C. Mulry, was reared in Dorchester, the place of his birth, and as a young lad attended the local public schools. Later he continued study in the Bos- ton Latin School, where he remained for three
years, leaving at the end of the junior year. Soon after he left school the entrance of the United States into the World War brought for him, as for thousands of other young men, a change of plans. In 1917 he enlisted in the United States Navy and was assigned to the Naval Air Service, in which he continued until after the signing of the Armistice, receiving his discharge in 1919. For a time after his return to civilian life he was variously employed, but finally he entered the New England Institute of Embalming in Boston, where he completed the course with graduation in 1925. While ta- king the regular course he also took an intensive course in the chemical department of the institution, completing that also in 1925. He was now ready for the establishment of a business of his own, and he at once located in Dorchester, where he has since been devoting his time and his energy to the task of building up a first-class undertaking business. Those who know him personally are convinced that Mr. Mulry is naturally well endowed for the work which he has chosen, for along with his warm and sympathetic Celtic nature, he has a pleasing personality which attracts and holds those with whom he is brought in contact and which makes easy his work as a funeral director. He is popular among a very large group of busi- ness associates and personal friends, and dur- ing the three years in which he has been en- gaged in business for himself has built up a very substantial business.
Mr. Mulry is a member of the American Legion, the Knights of Columbus, the Massa- chusetts Catholic Order of Foresters, and of several other social, fraternal, and civic or- ganizations, and takes an active interest in the affairs of all of them. His religious affiliation is with the Roman Catholic church.
HARRY O. PHILLIPS-The firm of J. B. Cole & Son, located at No. 490 Columbia Road, Dorchester, which has been owned and operated
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by Harry O. Phillips, who has been associated with it since 1898, is one of the oldest and best- known embalming and funeral directing estab- lishments in this section of the State.
George Alfred Phillips, grandfather of Harry O. Phillips, spent his life in Waterville, Maine, where he was successfully engaged in the whole- sale lumber business, was prominent in all the affairs of the town, and aided generously in the development of the town's industries. He was a member of the Free and Accepted Masons; and was one of the highly respected citizens of the place. He died at the age of seventy-three years.
Charles M. Phillips, son of George Alfred Phillips, was born and reared in Waterville, Maine. He attended the public schools there, and during his early years, was engaged in the hardware business, which he followed for some years, and then made a change and entered the wholesale lumber business, in association with the firm of G. A. Phillips, in which he con- tinued during the remainder of his life, his death occurring at the early age of forty-nine years. He married Edwina Hallett, who was born in Waterville, Maine, in 1855, and died in 1918, aged sixty-three years, and they be- came the parents of two children: Harry O., see next paragraph; and Zade, who married Willis B. Chapman, and resides in Swampscott, Massa- chusetts.
Harry O. Phillips, son of Charles M. and Edwina (Hallett) Phillips, was born in Water- ville, Maine, January 22, 1879, and received his education in the public schools of his native State, graduating from the Gardner High School. He remained with his father until he was twenty-one years of age, and then came to Massachusetts, locating in Brockton, where he entered the employ of Howard Clark & Company. Two years later, he came to Dor- chester and associated himself with the firm of J. B. Cole & Son, funeral directors, and since that time he has been continuously engaged in this business. Upon the death of Mr. Cole, Mr. Phillips became sole proprietor of the concern, which is one of the oldest and best undertaking establishments in Greater Boston.
The business of which Mr. Phillips is now (1928) owner and which still is operated under its original name, J. B. Cole & Son, was founded in South Boston more than fifty years ago, and was continued there until 1883, when it was moved to Dorchester. Here it has steadily grown and prospered. Owing to its principles of honest dealing, expert service, tact, and courtesy in meeting patrons in the times of be- reavement, the firm has won the reputation which each year adds new families to the al- ready long list of those who ask service of this old and well-known establishment. Mr. Phillips has not only maintained the high standards of the founder, but has greatly enlarged the fa- cilities for making progress and scientific meth- ods and processes, as well as convenience to patrons, the aim of all his efforts. He is a mem- ber of the Massachusetts Funeral Directors' 'Association, and, fraternally, is identified with the Free and Accepted Masons of Boston.
Harry O. Phillips was married, in 1910, to Elizabeth Emerson, a native of Boston, whose father was born in Maine, but who came to Boston, where for many years he was engaged in the furniture business.
CHARLES A. HOGAN-The superintendent of the parks of the city of Boston, Charles A. Hogan has for the past ten years (1929) held this responsible position. On May 1, 1929, he was made assistant commissioner of the park system of Boston. There are more than twenty-five hundred acres included in Bos- ton's parks and playgrounds, and when it is remembered that the changes and improvements made within the past ten years have greatly exceeded those of any of three decades previous, it is possible to realize something of the ex- tensiveness of Mr. Hogan's duties. He en- tered the park department at the age of seven- teen and has spent his life, to the present time, in the service of Boston's park system.
Charles A. Hogan was born in Newton, Mas-
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sachusetts, October 27, 1689, the son of a rail- road man, who resided in Newton up to his death at the age of sixty-nine years. Charles A. Hogan attended the schools of Brookline and Boston, graduating from the Boston Eng- lish High School. In 1898, at the age of seven- teen years, as noted above, he entered the employ of the Boston Park Department, and throughout the thirty-one years since he has continued to devote his time and attention to Boston recreation areas. As time passed he was promoted from one department to another, eventually becoming assistant superintendent. Finally, in March, 1919, he was appointed to fill the responsible position of superintendent of the parks of the city of Boston. At the present time (1929) he has the direct super- vision of the work of a force of one hundred men in the maintenance of Boston's park sys- tem. To this responsibility he has given his wholehearted interest, and the result has been most satisfactory to the officials of the de- partment, and to the public who enjoy the results of his labors. His life has been built into the work, and the city of Boston is for- tunate in having so able and so devoted a superintendent of parks.
GEORGE E. LANE-One of the largest cemeteries in Massachusetts is Pine Grove, of Lynn, also one of the most beautiful. The superintendent of this fine old burial ground, which dates back to 1850, is George E. Lane, who has been at work here since 1893, and the efficient superintendent since 1907.
George Washington Lane, father of George E. Lane, was born in the State of Maine, where he received his education in the schools of his native district, and then learned the trade of the barber, which he followed success- fully to the time of his retirement. The last years of his life were spent in Dexter, Maine, where he died in 1924, at the age of eighty-two
years. He married Sarah A. Pooley, who was born in New Brunswick, Canada, and they became the parents of five children, all of whom are living in Lynn, Massachusetts: George E., see next paragraph; William D .; Inez N .; Milford A .; and Lawton W. The mother of this family is living (1928), aged eighty years.
George E. Lane was born in St. John, New Brunswick, Canada, October 9, 1870, and re- ceived his education in the public schools of Lynn, Massachusetts, to which place his par- ents removed when he was a child. After leav- ing school he entered the employ of the General Electric Company of Lynn, with which he remained until he was twenty-three years of age. He then, in 1893, came to Pine Grove Cemetery, and here he has since remained, totalling now (1928) thirty-five years of service. During that time great changes for the better have been wrought in this extensive acreage, and for twenty-one years now, since 1907, Mr. Lane has, as superintendent, been directing the work.
Pine Grove Cemetery was organized in 1850, seventy-eight years ago, and during the years which have passed since its organization nearly forty thousand people have been laid to rest here. More than half of these have been in- terred since Mr. Lane became associated with the place, and the present average number of burials is about seven hundred and eighty a year. Pine Grove Cemetery is one of the largest in the State, and contains two hundred and ten acres, of which one hundred and fifty are al- ready developed. Of these Mr. Lane has de- veloped forty acres. In order to accomplish this an enormous amount of work has been necessary. The ground is hard to get into shape because of its rocky nature. Great boulders, some of them weighing nearly ten tons, impede the work, as the removal of these is frequently necessary. The difficulties of the work have interested Mr. Lane. However, in- stead of discouraging him, he has delighted in converting wild and rocky land into usefulness and beauty. Besides developing forty acres of land he has graded more than one thousand lots, has built miles of road and paths, and done
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a vast amount of landscape gardening. The de- veloping of new land is constantly going on, as the association owns some sixty acres of unim- proved land. During the summer of 1928, three huge steam shovels and a force of sixty men were employed under the direction of Mr. Lane. The upkeep of so large an acreage in these days when cemeteries are beautiful parks, carefully landscaped and meticulously cared for, is a very large task, but one has only to drive through its pleasant roads to know that this part of the work is being well cared for by Mr. Lane. Along with the construction and up- keep work, and the routine work of attending to interments, Mr. Lane, since coming here, has been in charge of the selling of burial lots, and he has now sold lots to the value of more than $100,000. Its beautifully kept grounds, lawns and shrubs, all indicate the care and interest of the man who has been interested in it for nearly four decades. Fraternally, Mr. Lane has been a member of the Free and Ac- cepted Masons, since 1895; of Sutton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Zebulon Council, Royal and Select Masters; Olivet Commandery, Knights Templar; all of the Scottish Rite bodies, including the Consistory, in which he holds the thirty-second degree; also of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He has been a member of Bay State Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, since 1895; a member of the Order of the Eastern Star; and of the Sons of the American Revolution, of Lynn. He keeps closely in touch with the work of others of his calling through membership in the New Eng- land Association of Cemetery Superintendents and the American Association of Cemetery Superintendents, and is well known as an ex- pert in his special field of supervisory work.
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