USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume III > Part 19
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HERMON C. MacNEIL - Prominent in the manufacturing world of Lynn, Massachusetts, Hermon C. MacNeil is bearing a part in the prog- ress . of the great shoe industry, of which Lyna is one of the leading centers of the world.
Mr. MacNeil is a son of Caleb Henry MacNeil, of Chelsea, Massachusetts, whose mother, a Pratt, was a direct descendant of the Pratty who set- tled in Chelsea, Massachusetts, in 1638. He was a man of broad ability, and was engaged in the contracting business in Chelsea until his death, which occurred May 25, 1896. Caleb Henry Mac- Neil married Josephine Charlotte Wahlgren, of Everett, Massachusetts.
Hermon C. MacNeil, son of Caleb Henry and Josephine Charlotte (Wahlgren) MacNeil, was born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, April 16, 1891, and received a practical preparation for the bat- tle of life in the educational institutions of that city. His first business experience was with the Harry Hartley Company, Incorporated, wool top manufacturers of Boston, and with them he re- mained for two years. He then became asso- ciated with George A. Carpenter, a leading real estate dealer of Boston, as superintendent of buildings, continuing in this connection for a sim- ilar period. Thereafter he became purchasing agent for the Shoe City Novelty Company, re- maining in that capacity until January 2, 1911. This company was incorporated in 1910, the per- sonnel of the company being as follows: Presi- dent, Warren Stetson; vice-president, Albert L. Howes; treasurer, Frank O. Stetson; and secre- tary, Charles S. Clinch, the firm purchasing the interests of Mr. Oakes and Charles S. Clinch, theretofore the owners of the business. In Sep- tember, 1912, the corporation assigned, and Charles S. Clinch, formerly part owner, rebought the busi- ness from the assignees. In May, 1913, he re- ceived as a partner John T. Rogers. At that time Mr. MacNeil was again made purchasing agent for the plant, and was also given charge of the sales. He then made his first trip on the road. Within nineteen months Mr. Clinch suffered a breakdown which threatened permanently to impair his health, and the business was purchased by Mr. MacNeil, in association with Nellie R. Lowe, August 1, 1914. There was no further change until August 1, 1919, when Mr. MacNeil purchased the interest of Mrs. Lowe, and the
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firm name became The MacNeil Company, Mr. Mac- Neil being sole owner. With his experience and natural adaptability to administrative interests, Mr. MacNeil is going forward constantly, and is achiev- ing a good measure of success.
Mr. MacNeil is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Lynn, and interested in the prog- ress of every branch of civic activity. He is a member of Wayfarers Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and of the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. He is a member of the United Commercial Travelers, of Lynn, and of the Rotary Club.
In February, 1915, Mr. MacNeil married Inez Elizabeth Sylvester, of Chelsea, Massachusetts, and they have two little daughters, Jean and Doris.
JUDGE FREDERIC N. CHANDLER, although in the prime of life with its ever widening pros- pects for future attainment, can still look back on many years of accomplishment that have brought not only great personal success, but also the merited affection and plaudits of his fellows. Genial, open-hearted, and always ready to help, his friends are legion. Able, talented, with a judicial mind and broad legal training, his asso- ciates in the law do him honor. In civic, state and national affairs, his capacity for organization, the facility with which he secures an enthusiastic fol- lowing, and the vigor and efficiency with which he pushes through any movement for the betterment of the city, state or country, has won for him a more than local fame.
His father had many of the same interesting traits that characterize the son. Henry F. Chand- ler was born in Andover, Massachusetts, in 1835, and was long engaged in the wholesale paper business. Like others of his time his venture- some spirit and courage took him to the gold fields of California and it was while he was there that the Civil War suddenly broke upon this country. Dropping his interests as they were, he immedi- ately set out for home and, upon arrival, enlisted for service in the Fifty-Ninth Regiment, Massa- chusetts Volunteers. It was not long before he was in the midst of fighting, and during the later years of the war he served on the firing line in most of its greatest battles: The "Wilderness," "Spottsylvania," "Cold Harbor," "Petersburg,' "Weldon Railroad"; one great fight followed the other and he was in the forefront of them all. Three times was he wounded, the first on De- cember 8, 1863; on recovery he rejoined his regi- ment only to fall again in the warfare around Petersburg, Virginia, June 17, 1864. Again as soon as the surgeons would let him, he was back with his comrades only to be shot again at Pop- lar Grove Church, September 30, 1864, and this time he was hurt so badly that he was sent home to recover and it was a long time before he was able to be about. In 1865 he received his honored and "honorable discharge." During his service under General Burnside he received the much prized Congressional Medal for bravery in action.
Judge Chandler is a worthy son of a worthy father, although his work has been one of peace rather than of war. His birthplace was Law- rence, Massachusetts, the time August 1, 1870. He prepared for college in the graded and high schools of the community and completed the pre- paration in 1889. He was the first winner of the Valpey Medal, in a speaking contest held in high school. He then entered Dartmouth College from which he was graduated in 1893 with the degree of Bachelor of Letters. The next four years were very busy ones, for during that time he was not only a professor of mathematics and Latin in Law- rence High School, and principal of Lawrence Evening High School, but he completed the law course in Boston University, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Laws in the class of '97. He was admitted to the Bar at Salem, Massachu- setts, in 1896, before completing his law course. During his principalship of the Lawrence Evening High School which extended from 1893-1902, in- clusive, he entirely reorganized its methods and system and so increased its popularity and effec- tiveness that the number of teachers and pupils was greatly augmented.
The same month, June, that saw him gradu- ated from Boston University also saw his en- trance upon the practice of law in the offices of the Hon. Charles A. DeCourcey, now (1921) Asso- ciate Justice, Massachusetts Supreme Court. Here he remained up to the end of the year 1898, when he opened an office for himself in the Essex Bank building. On November 1, 1899, he entered into a partnership with Fred H. Eaton of Law- rence, the president of the Bay State National Bank, of which Judge Chandler is a director. When the bank put up the magnificent building to which it has given its own name, one of the first tenants was the law firm of Eaton & Chand- ler.
Judge Chandler is a member of both the Essex County, Lawrence and Massachusetts Bar associa- tions. He was city solicitor in 1910, and is special justice, Lawrence District Court. In 1910 he was elected president of the Lawrence Board of Trade, a body so weak that many thought he had been chosen so that he might preside at its obsequies. President Chandler promptly brought about a reorganization, "gave the dog a new name," and, as the "Chamber of Commerce," it is a lusty, hustling body of eleven hundred members and one of the most conspicuous factors in the advance of the city. Judge Chandler was cho- sen president of this new society and his resigna- tion from official position three years later was greatly regretted by the whole organization. He is still, however, one of its most wide-awake mem- bers. He is a Republican as regards political faith, finds pleasure in the out-of-doors, and in the meeting of his many friends at the Merrimac Valley Country Club. Fraternally he belongs to the Alpha Delta Phi and Casque & Gauntlet Senior Society. He also affiliates with Lawrence Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
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and is a thirty-second degree Mason, belonging to Grecian Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Ma- sons; Royal Arch Masons; Royal and Select Mas- ters; Bethany Commandery, Knights Templar, of Lawrence; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order, Nobles of the Mystic Shrine of Boston.
During the World War he was very promi- nent and active on the many committees that arose at that time. His wide acquaintance with business men, and influence over them, made him one of the most distinguished leaders in the Red Cross, Liberty Loan and other campaigns. He, with his family, are affiliated with the South Congregational Church of Andover, Massachusetts.
Judge Chandler was married, in Collinsville, Illinois, October 9, 1901, to Genevieve Chandler, daughter of Nathan W. Chandler, born in An- dover, Massachusetts, and one time postmaster of Collinsville, Illinois, and Clara L. (Berkey) Chandler, a native of Collinsville. From this union there is a son Gordon Henry, born July 1, 1908, a graduate of Punchard High School, Andover, and now a student at Taber Academy, Marion, Massachusetts.
WILLIAM WARREN HENNESSEY, M. D .- Although young in years, Dr. Hennessey, a native of Salem, Massachusetts, and a well known physi- cian of this community, has already gained a dis- tinction in his profession which might well be the envy of a much older man. His efforts have been so discerningly directed along well-defined lines that his may already be called a successful life in the true sense of the word.
William Warren Hennessey was born in Salem, Massachusetts, June 17, 1884, the son of the late James F. and Mary (Ryan) Hennessey. He ob- tained his elementary education in the public schools of his native city and then, having decided upon the profession of medicine for his career, he matri- culated in the Medical Department of Tufts College, where he was graduated in 1906, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, after which he passed the Massachusetts Board examinations and then served an interneship of one and one-half years at the Carney Hospital in Boston, subsequently entering the Massachusetts Charitable Eye and Ear In- firmary, where he spent another one and one-half years, after which he returned to Salem and opened an office, specializing in diseases of the eye, ear, nose and throat. Success has attended his efforts and he is now in possession of a large and increas- ing clientele.
Dr. Hennessey is on the staff of the Salem Hos- pital, being eye, ear, nose and throat specialist there, and is also surgeon at the Carney Hospital at Boston. He is a member of all the leading medi- cal associations, among them being the American Medical Association, the New England Medical As- sociation, the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the Alpha Kappa Kappa medical fraternity. On October 25, 1918, during the World War, Dr. Hen- nessey enlisted in the Medical Corps of the United States army, where he received the commission of
first lieutenant, and was placed in charge of the eye, ear, nose and throat department of the Base Hos- pital at Camp Devens, where he remained until April 29, 1919, when he received his honorable dis- charge.
On September 10, 1911, William Warren Hen- nessey was united in marriage with Margaret A. Bailey, of Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. and Mrs. Hennessey have no children. They reside at No. 333 Essex street, Salem.
PETER A. SIM-From Dumbarton, Scotland, came Peter Sim, a lad of but fourteen years, but most capable and self-reliant. He found a home and employment in Peabody, Massachusetts, there became a leather worker, remaining in that busi- ness in Peabody and Salem so long as he lived. He married Mary J. Steele, of St. Andrews, New Brunswick, Canada, but whose life was largely spent in Peabody, Massachusetts. Both were members of the Congregational church.
Peter A. Sim, son of Peter and Mary J. (Steele) Sim, was born in Peabody, Massachusetts, May 16, 1868, and there was educated in the public schools. His father was a tanner of morocco leather, head of Peter Sim & Sons, of Salem, and when school years were over, he took his son into the business, and until 1885 he remained in his father's employ. In that year he was admitted to the firm of Peter Sim & Sons, and upon the death of Peter Sim, March 1, 1897, his three sons con- tinued the business under the firm name, Peter Sim & Sons. The business has been conducted under the Sim name and in the same location for forty- five years, no other firm in the city being able to show such a record.
Peter A. Sim is a member of the Knights of Malta; is a Republican in politics; and a member of the Congregational church.
Mr. Sim married, in 1888, Evelyn A. Goldwaite, of Peabody, Massachusetts, and they are the par- ents of a daughter, Mildred E., wife of Edward E. Jewett, of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Mr. Sim is. a man of energy and strong ability, sound in judgment, and during his years of business activ- ity has been very successful in his undertakings. He is highly esteemed in his community and wide- ly known.
WILLIAM J. BARRY-In a field of effort which directly bears upon the economic security of the community,-the insurance business, William J. Barry has long been active in Lynn, Massachusetts, and is still carrying forward the tide of progress along this line.
Mr. Barry was born in Lynn, July 15, 1872, and is a son of Richard P. and Mary Ann (Griffin) Barry. The father was formerly a member of the State Board of Conciliators. As a boy Mr. Barry attended the public schools of his native city, then took a course at Harvard University. After com- pleting his education he became identified with the firm of Baker, Marshman & Baker, in the insurance and real estate business, and this partnership en-
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dured for five years. Upon its dissolution Mr. Barry entered the same field independently, and is still thus engaged, being now one of the leading insurance and real estate men in the city.
Mr. Barry is a member of the Lynn Board of Fire Underwriters, and of the New England In- surance Exchange. Fraternally he holds member- ship in the Knights of Columbus, he is a mem- ber of the Oxford Club, of Lynn, and of the Lynn Historical Society. He is a member of the Chari- table Irish Society, and of St. Mary's Roman Cath- olic Church.
On June 14, 1906, Mr. Barry married Jennie B. Baxter, daughter of Thomas and Elizabeth (Evans) Baxter, and a descendant of a very old Massachusetts family. Mrs. Barry is a member of the Daughters of the Revolution, of the Colonial Daughters, and of the Mayflower Descendants. Mr. and Mrs. Barry have two children: William Paul, born April 5, 1907; and Elizabeth Evans, born January 11, 1909.
MELBOURNE D. SKINNER, who is connected with the shoe industry of Lynn as a manufacturer of heels, was born in Kings county, Nova Scotia, March 1, 1869. He is a son of David and Rebecca (Moore) Skinner. David Skinner was born in Nova Scotia, and engaged in the heel business the greater part of his life. He died in 1905, at the advanced age of seventy-seven years. His wife was a native of Kings county, Nova Scotia.
Receiving his education in the public schools of Nova Scotia, Melbourne D. Skinner later came to Lynn, and here founded the business known as the Skinner Heel Company, in partnership with F. A. Gordon, of Lynn. The venture was very suc- cessful and developed to gratifying proportions. The partnership continued until 1919, when the business was reorganized as a corporation, the of- ficers of the company being elected as follows: president, M. D. Skinner; secretary, Miss Harney; and treasurer, F. A. Gordon. With this change in the form of organization, the name became the Skinner Heel Company, Incorporated. As the head of this constantly growing interest Mr. Skinner is prominent in the business world of Lynn, and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce. He was a member of Company I, Eighth Infantry, Massa- chusetts National Guard, from 1887 until 1904.
Mr. Skinner married Edith M. Morse, and they are the parents of two daughters: Irene Pearl, who became the wife of Harold Davis, of Lynn, and has a daughter, Edith; and Alice M., wife of Fred- erick Grove, of Wells Depot, Maine, and has two children, Frederick and Mary.
JOHN SARGENT MASON, who has been con- nected with Haverhill business for more than twenty years, and is widely known among the lead- ing business men of that section of Massachusetts, was born in Lawrence, Massachusetts, on January 9, 1870, son of Eugene J. and Susan F. (Sargent) Mason. His mother was born in Cambridge, Massa- chusetts, and was of the old Colonial family of
that patronymic, the American generations of the Sargent family reaching back into the seventeenth century, to the first decades of the Massachusetts colony. His father, Eugene J. Mason, was a mer- chant in Lawrence, Massachusetts, where he died in 1880, John S. being then only ten years old.
John S. Mason received the whole of his acad- emic education in the public schools of Lawrence, and was fortunately able to remain in school until he had graduated from the high school, which he did in the class of 1890. For five years after leav- ing school John S. Mason was connected with the wholesale drygoods house of F. A. Foster, at Bos- ton, and for a further four years was with the Robinson Hardware Company, at Lawrence. In 1899 he came to Haverhill and formed a business partnership with W. E. Ellis. They established the firm of Ellis & Mason, and for five years conducted a good business in cut soles and other branches of the leather industry. In 1904, however, Mr. Mason saw that it was to his advantage to with . draw from the partnership and join the sales force of the Treat Hardware Company, of Lawrence. This he did, but it was not long afterwards before he entered into association with another Haverhill business man, Urban W. Leavitt, for the purpose of acquiring the Hanscom Brothers Hardware Com- pany, a business which was established in Haverhill so far back as 1865, and which has been elsewhere referred to in this work. Messrs. Mason and Lea- vitt were successful, and organized in corporate form another company, the Hanscom Hardware Company, Inc., in 1906. Mr. Mason was elected president and Mr. Leavitt treasurer, and in these capacities they have continued to control and di- rect the company's operations ever since. The business has grown immensely, their main quarters, at No. 30 Main street, having a floor space of 45,000 square feet, and embracing three buildings. They manufacture the brand of hardware known as "Sag- gahew," and they supply the trade over a wide area. The Hanscom Hardware Company, Inc., is said to be by far the largest hardware company in this section of Massachusetts.
Outside his business activities Mr. Mason is well and favorably known in Haverhill because of his interest in the city. He has actively cooperated in several movements which endeavored to bring Haverhill more into line with larger cities of Massachusetts, and he has not stinted support to several local philanthropic objects. He is one of the corporators of the Five Cent Savings Bank, and is a director of the Essex National Bank of Haver- hill. He is a Knight Templar of the Masonic or- der, and member of the Pentucket Club. He is a Congregationalist, being a member of the North Congregational Church, and a member of the Cham- ber of Commerce.
Mr. Mason married, June 22, 1910, Eva F. Chase, daughter of David E. and Harriet (Potter) Chase, of Haverhill. The former was a ranch and mine owner, and died in 1900. Mr. and Mrs. Mason have two children: Virginia, born in 1914; and Dor- othy, born in 1917.
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THOMAS FRANCIS HENRY, M. D .- The medi- cal profession is represented in the city of Salem, Massachusetts, by a group of men in whom any city might well take pride, and among them Dr. Thomas Francis Henry holds a leading position.
Dr. Henry was born in Salem, and has grown up among its people. He attended its elementary schools and prepared for his technical education in the grammar and high schools. His father, Patrick Henry, was a resident of Salem, by occupation a leather worker, an industrious man, respected by all who knew him. He retired ten years before his death, living to see his son a successful physician. Dr. Henry's mother, Bridget (Cunney) Henry, is also deceased.
Being graduated from Tufts College in 1905, with the degree of M. D., Dr. Henry became interne at St. Vincent's Hospital, of Worcester, Massachu- setts, where he remained for fifteen months. He passed the examinations of the State Medical Board in 1905. Opening an office at Salem, he began the general practice of medicine and surgery, very soon winning recognition, and as time passed he forged rapidly ahead until now he stands in the foremost ranks of the medical profession in this vicinity. He is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and is on the staff of the Salem Hospital. He was city physician from 1906 to 1909, inclusive. In po- litical convictions Dr. Henry is an Independent, de- claring himself for no party unreservedly.
Dr. Henry married, on November 11, 1915, Jen- nie F. Moore, daughter of Thomas and Jane (Dwyer) Moore, both now deceased, of Woburn, Massachusetts. Mrs. Henry was educated at Elm- hurst Academy, in Providence, Rhode Island, and, taking a special Perry kindergarten course, taught for two years in Boston. Mr. Moore was a veteran of the Civil War, and was for years a member of the Grand Army of the Republic. Dr. and Mrs. Henry have two children: Barbara Moore, and Robert. The family are members of St. James' Roman Catholic Church.
REV. FREDERICK ARTHUR WILSON, pastor emeritus of the Free Christian (Congregational) Church of Andover, Massachusetts, has achieved much success in the many years he has labored in the service of the people. He was born April 23, 1852, at Orono, Maine, son of Nathaniel Wilson, Jr., who was born at Haverhill, New Hampshire, Sep- tember 18, 1807, and died at Orono, January 23, 1892. He was a lawyer, and prominent in public life. In his earlier days he was a member of the Whig party and subsequently a Democrat. He was the representative of his party during a term in the State Legislature, and served many years on the school committee. Nathaniel Wilson, Jr., married at Orono, April 17, 1839, Abigail A. Colburn, born at Orono, November 23, 1818, died there, March 27, 1896, daughter of Jeremiah and Susan (Graves) Colburn.
Nathaniel Wilson, Sr., father of Nathaniel Wil- son, Jr., and grandfather of the Rev. Frederick A. Wilson, was born May 14, 1777, at Pelham, New
Hampshire, and died September 1, 1807; he was a blacksmith by occupation. He married, in 1803, Sarah E. Pearson, who was born April 2, 1781, and died January 13, 1866, at Orono, Maine.
Jesse Wilson, father of Nathaniel Wilson, Sr., and the great-grandfather of Rev. Frederick A. Wilson, was born January 20, 1740, and died July 27, 1810. He served as captain in the Revolutionary War, and. married for his second wife Ruth Merrill; they made their home in Pelham, New Hampshire.
Rev. Frederick A. Wilson, son of Nathaniel, Jr., and Abigail A. (Colburn) Wilson, was educated in the public schools of Orono and the Hampden Acad- emy. He was a member of the class of 1869 of the Waterville Classical Institute, and four years later was graduated from Bowdoin College with the B. A. degree, and in 1882 from the Theological Seminary at Bangor, Maine. During the years between 1878 and 1875 Mr. Wilson was principal of the Frye- burg Academy at Fryeburg, Maine, and from the latter year to 1879 he was instructor in mathematics and natural science at the Hallowell Classical Insti- tute of Hallowell, Maine.
The first pastorate of Rev. Mr. Wilson, after his ordination to the ministry in 1882, was as pastor of the Orthodox Congregational Church at Billerica, Massachusetts, from 1882 to 1889. He was then ap- pointed to the pastorate at Andover, which he held until 1919, when he was made pastor emeritus of the church, the Free Christian (Congregational). During his years at Andover Rev. Mr. Wilson has endeared himself to his parishioners, and is one of the most beloved citizens of his community. A new church was erected during his pastorate, which is said to be one of the finest examples of Old Colo- nial architecture in New England.
Rev. Wilson has served many years as trustee of the Memorial Hall Library, and as president of the Andover Christian Civic League. He was also vice- president of the Andover Natural History Society for some years, and has been a director of the An- dover Guild since its origin. While a student at Bowdoin College Mr. Wilson became a member of the fraternities Alpha Delta Phi and Phi Beta Kappa.
Rev. Wilson married, September 10, 1889, Flor- ence Nightingale Nason, born March 11, 1857, at Natick, Massachusetts, daughter of Rev. Elias and Mira (Bigelow) Nason. The former was a minister of the Congregational church and a well known author and lecturer. Rev. Mr. and Mrs. Wilson were the parents of the following children: 1. Mira Bige- low Wilson, born January 13, 1893, educated at pub- lic schools of Andover, and at the Abbot Academy. She was graduated in the class of 1914 from Smith College, and four years later from the Boston Uni- versity Divinity School. She is now an instructor at her alma mater. 2. Frederick Colburn Wilson, born October 21, 1894; he was educated in the pub- lic schools and Phillips Andover Academy, and was graduated from Harvard University in 1917, with the degree of A. B. He served as a Y. M. C. A. secretary at Camp Devens, and later joined Com- pany C, 301st Field Signal Battalion, and was in
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