USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume III > Part 24
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Fraternally, Mr. Pitman is well known, being a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows,
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and of the Knights of Pythias. He attends the ser- vices of the Unitarian church.
Mr. Pitman married, in 1876, in North Fryeburg, Maine, Ada M. Wiley, of that place, and they have three sons: Eben N., born October 22, 1877, who died December 14, 1900; Benjamin W., a resident of Danvers, Massachusetts, and a carpenter by trade, who was born November 10, 1879; and Joseph I., born January 29, 1881, who is now superintendent and manager of his father's extensive business.
ARTHUR A. FORNESS has been a resident and business man of Beverly, Massachusetts, for more than a quarter of a century, coming to that city from Salem, Massachusetts. Mr. Forness started his busi- ness career as a druggist, but after twelve years amid drugs and medicines he chose the healthful business of a real estate dealer and fre insurance agent and in that line has gained health, reputation and fortune.
Arthur A. Forness is a son of Augustus A. and Margaret (Gray) Forness, his father a morocco leather manufacturer of Peabody, Massachusetts, and a man of local influence.
Arthur A. Forness was born in South Danvers, Massachusetts, November 12, 1860. He was edu- cated in the public schools, and at the age of sixteen secured a position in a drug store at Salem, Massa- chusetts, and for twelve years continued in the drug business there. In 1888 he retired from the drug business and entered the real estate and in- surance business in Salem, continuing in that line until 1895, when he bought the real estate and in- surance agency of Samuel Porter, at Beverly, Mas- sachusetts, and there has since continued its suc- cessful operation, having now been its owner and managing head for twenty-six years (1895-1921).
Mr. Forness has other business interests of im- portance. He is vice-president and member of the Investment Committee of the Beverly Savings Bank; is a director of the New Ware Theatre, Inc., and director of the Beverly Chamber of Commerce. He is well known in fraternal circles, being a member of the Masonic order; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, of which he is past exalted ruler of Beverly Lodge; and a member and an ex-president of the Union Club. He is a member of and for thirteen years was treasurer of the First Unitarian Church of Beverly; and in politics is a Republican.
Mr. Forness married Jennie L. Lummus, daugh- ter of Judge Lummus, of Danvers, Massachusetts.
RALPH H. TAYLOR is one of those lawyers of whom men think, after they have had the pleasure of meeting him, "That is the man I am going to consult if ever I have a need in law." His very presence inspires confidence and his manner dis- closes skill and power. Mr. Taylor is a native of Haverhill, Massachusetts, being born there Decem- ber 17, 1879. His father, Levi L. H. Taylor, born in 1854, was also of this city, but the mother, Laura Abbie (Dodge) Taylor, was of New Hampshire stock, being a native of Raymond, New Hampshire.
Mr. L. L. H. Taylor is a prominent real estate operator in Haverhill and vicinity.
Ralph H. Taylor had ample preparation before entering the law. His earliest study was in the public schools, finishing with high school in the year 1899. Entering college he was graduated from Dartmouth, New Hampshire, in 1902, with the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts. The year 1905 saw the completion of the law course in Harvard, from which college he gained the degree of Bachelor of Laws. He was admitted to the Bar of Massachu- setts in 1905 and the United States Bar in 1909. During the years 1905 to 1911 he was associated with R. A. Jordon in Boston, Massachusetts, and still handles all matters of law for this firm in Essex county. Mr. Taylor has his offices at 14 Water street, to which place he moved in 1914. Here, without partners, he is conducting a success- ful general law practice and is much consulted by an ever-increasing clientele. Mr. Taylor is Re- publican in his politics. During the World War he served on the legal advisory board. He is a mem- ber of both the Essex County Bar Association and the Haverhill Bar Association, and also belongs to the Pentucket Club. He and his family are well known attendants of the First Methodist Church and make their home at 38 Highland avenue, Haver- hill.
On June 80, 1910, he was married to Eva Lillian Sears, daughter of William H. and Sarah (Robinson) Sears.
CLARENCE F. BENNER-As the present head of a long-established business in Lynn, Clarence F. Benner is bearing a part in the progress of this city. He is a son of Frank R. Benner, the founder of the firm of F. R. Benner & Company. The business, established about 1886, in a small way, long since became an important interest, and the elder Mr. Benner held the active management until
1919, when he turned it over to his son. Frank R. Benner married Susie L. Nash, of Warren, Maine.
Clarence F. Benner was born December 7, 1882, in Thomaston, Maine. Educated in the public schools of Eddington and Trenton, New Jersey, he completed his preparation for a successful career at the Rider, Moore & Stewart Business College. He began life in the employ of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company, of Trenton, with whom he remained for a period of eight years. Thereafter he came to Lynn, representing the Metropolitan and also the John Hancock Mutual Life Insur- ance Company, of Boston, and was an I. C. S. railroad man for nine states and provinces.
In 1919 Mr. Benner took over the management of his father's business in Lynn, and is carrying forward that long successful business to the suc- cess which is the logical outcome of its growth and development. Under the name of Benner Awning and Tent Company, Incorporated, the concern is making and distributing everything in canvas, the greatest volume of their production being in awn- ings, tents, truck covers, etc.
Mr. Benner was formerly petty officer of Com-
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pany E, Second Regiment, New Jersey National Guard, and was later a member of Company D, Eighth Regiment, Massachusetts State Militia. Mr. Benner is a member of Everett Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of the National Tent and Awning Manu- facturers' Association, and of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce. He is also a member of the Oxford Club, and attends the Methodist Episcopal Church. On August 31, 1905, Mr. Benner married Bertha A. Geary, daughter of C. H. and Amelia (Fitz) Geary, of Lynn, the mother being a native of Prince Edward's Island. Mr. and Mrs. Benner have two children: Clarence F. Jr., and Bertha L.
DR. EDWARD FRANCIS RYAN, a dental sur- geon of Amesbury, Massachusetts, and a World War veteran, was born in Amesbury, on May 16, 1893, son of Daniel and Fannie (Murphy) Ryan, and grandson of Patrick and Hannah (Flynn) Ryan. His grandparents were born in County Cork, Ire- land, his grandmother in 1840. Patrick Ryan en- gaged in manual labor until retirement in 1901. The grandmother almost reached octogenarian age, her demise not occurring until 1919, a year after the desth of her son, Daniel, father of Edward F. Daniel Ryan was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1861, but lived the greater part of his life in the United States. His wife, Fannie (Murphy) Ryan, was a native of Amesbury, born there in 1865. The Ryan family settled in Amesbury, where Daniel Ryan was engaged in the automobile business until his death in 1918. Both parents of Edward F. Ryan were well known and respected in Amesbury.
Edward F. Ryan grew to manhood in Amesbury. He attended the local schools, graduating from the high school, after which he entered Exeter Academy. Having decided to take up professional work, he next was a student at Tufts Dental Col- lege, graduating in dental surgery with the class of 1917, and thus gaining the degree of D. M. D. Very soon after graduating, Dr. Ryan enlisted in the United States army, for service during the World War. He was commissioned in October, 1917, in the grade of first lieutenant, and ordered to Camp Devens, Massachusetts, there remaining until February 4, 1918, when he was transferred to Washington, D. C. He was there only tempor- arily, however, for on March 25, 1918, he sailed overseas, and saw service in France with the 20th Engineers, being stationed near the Swiss border. His military work was in his profession, and he had opportunities for much wider practice in den- tistry than would probably have come to him dur- ing his first years of private practice. After the signing of the armistice he returned to this country with his unit, and was discharged, as first lieuten- ant of Dental Corps, on June, 1919. Soon, there- after, he returned to Amesbury, and took up private practice in his native city, where he is well known, and is succeeding.
Politically, Dr. Ryan is a Republican, though he takes no part in political work. Fraternally, he be- longs to the Knights of Columbus, and to the K. E. P. fraternity of Exeter Academy. He is a mem-
ber of the local post of the American Legion, and is evidently popular with ex-service men, for he filled the position of commander of Amesbury Post in 1919 and 1920. He is a member of the North- eastern Massachusetts Dental Association, Tufts Dental Association of Boston, and the Amesbury Club. He is a sincere Catholic, member of St. Joseph's Catholic Church, of Amesbury. Dr. Ryan is unmarried.
GEORGE H. PERKINS-Identified for many years with the business life of North Andover, Massachusetts, and for thirty-two years town treas- urer, George H. Perkins is broadly representative of the progressive citizenship of Essex county.
Mr. Perkins was born in North Andover, May 10, 1863, the son of Apollos L. and Mary E. (Phelps) Perkins. He received a thorough grounding in the essentials of education in the public schools of his native place, then, upon entering the business world, he chose a useful occupation, that of a druggist. For four years he was in the employ of E. J. Kelly, at that time a prominent druggist of Lawrence, and there, by diligent study, learned the business. In 1883 he started in the drug business for himself in North Andover, and for many years held a lead- ing position in this line of endeavor there. He is a member of the New England Druggists' Associa- tion, and of the National Association of Retail Druggists.
In his prominent position in business circles Mr. Perkins was much in the public eye, and at the age of twenty-six years was elected town treasurer. This office he has ably filled for thirty-two years.
Mr. Perkins is a past master of Cochichewick Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and served as district deputy grand master. He is also a member of the Massachusetts Consistory; Bethany Com- mandery, Knights Templar; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. During the World War Mr. Perkins was active in the many movements in support of the Allied forces, and was a member of the Public Safety Committee.
Mr. Perkins married, in April, 1889, Lillian Berry, of North Andover, and they have one son, Lyman G., a graduate of Phillips Exeter Academy, and of Dartmouth College, class of 1916. In both institu- tions he was prominent in social and athletic circles. He was captain of the varsity base ball -team at Dartmouth. He is a member of Delta Kappa Ep- silon fraternity, and . the Sphinx Club. The family attend the Congregational church.
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GEORGE W. HAMBLET-The industries of Es- sex county, Massachusetts, bear a broad significance outside this immediate vicinity, and perhaps one of the most far-reaching is the Hamblet Machine Com- pany, of which George W. Hamblet is proprietor, whose specialty, paper cutting machines, goes to many parts of the world.
Mr. Hamblet was born in Dracut, Massachusetts, May 4, 1865, and is a son of Warren C. and Helen F. (Clement) Hamblet. Warren C. Hamblet was for a period of many years engaged in the bobbin
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business in Lawrence. Both parents are deceased. Acquiring his early education in the public schools of Lawrence, G. W. Hamblet thereafter entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pursuing a course in mechanical engineering, from which he was graduated in 1888, with the degree of B. S. For nine years, thereafter, he served as instructor in mechanical engineering in the same institution. At the end of that time he purchased the present business, which consists in part of the manufacture of iron castings, and also a specialty of paper cut- ters for paper mills. A large amount of jobbing is also handled. The business has increased broadly under Mr. Hamblet's management, and now the plant exports paper cutters to Canada, Japan, South America, and for about a dozen years exported to many European countries. They employ between eighty and one hundred skilled mechanics. During the World War their facilities were largely devoted to the production of special machinery for war pur- Poses.
As head of this industry Mr. Hamblet holds a prominent position in Lawrence. He is a director of the Merchants' Trust Company; also of the Morris Plan Company. He is a trustee of the Broadway Savings Bank, and a member of the Committee on Investments of that institution. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, and of the Ameri- can Society of Mechanical Engineers.
In January, 1893, Mr. Hamblet married Kate M. Clark, of Lawrence, daughter of William P. and Elizabeth A. (Gage) Clark. Mr. and Mrs. Hamblet have six children: Helen E., who was engaged for some time in relief work for the city of Law- rence; Marian C .; Theodore C .; Katherine G .; George Warren; and William P., the four younger children being still in school. The family reside at No. 506 Lowell street, Lawrence, and attend Trin- ity Congregational Church.
FRANK W. McLANATHAN-In the business, financial and social circles of Lawrence, Massachu- setts, Frank W. McLanathan is bearing a share in many branches of constructive endeavor. Mr. Mc- Lanathan was born in Lawrence, September 12, 1886, and is a son of Frederick W. and Elberta H. (Hemenway) McLanathan.
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Frederick W. McLanathan was born in 1847, and died May 6, 1909. He became a bookkeeper in the employ of Edward Page, a belting manufacturer, in 1867 or 1868, and in 1873 embarked independently in this line, purchasing the belt manufacturing busi- ness of E. W. Colcord and establishing his plant at No. 541 Essex street, the present site of the Fair- field block. Shortly thereafter, probably in 1874, he moved his plant to No. 18 Broadway, and two years later he was located at the corner of Methuen and Franklin streets. About 1881-2 he discontinued the making of belting and gave his entire attention to covering rolls until about 1890, when he resumed the manufacture of belting, since which time both lines have been carried on. In 1898-4 larger quar- ters at No. 556 Common street were occupied;
about 1895 another move was made to No. 620 Es- sex street, and about six years later, No. 168 Broad- way, corner of Lowell street, became the firm's lo- cation. The present plant of the company, a mo- del, finely equipped factory, was erected about 1905.
Frederick W. McLanathan was a man of great na- tural modesty, who sought to avoid any appearance of ostentation in his unselfish service to his fellow- men. It was written of him at his death that "as a citizen Mr. McLanathan was a man of the old school, who had the welfare of the city at heart and who was at all times ready to lend a helping hand where the good of the community was concerned. As a business man he was numbered among Law- rence's most successful manufacturers, and his square disposition and upright character won for him the respect of all with whom he had business relations. He married, in Framingham, Massachu- setts, Elberta Harriet, daughter of Elbert Hemen- way, and they were parents of one son, Frank W., of whom further; and a daughter, Rebecca Watson.
Frank W. McLanathan was educated in the pub- lic schools of Lawrence, and became associated with his father in 1905, becoming thoroughly conversant with the business of which he is now head. Upon the death of his father he took over the active man- agement, and has since developed it broadly.
Mr. McLanathan is interested in every phase of public progress, and is an active participant in vari- ous forward movements. He is president of the Atlantic Cooperative Bank, and is a trustee of the Lawrence Savings Bank. He has long been inter- ested in the work of the Young Men's Christian Association, was for a number of years chairman of the boy's division, and is now a director of the association. He is also a director of the Boys' Club, and a member of the Chamber of Commerce.
Fraternally, Mr. McLanathan is prominent, being a member of John Hancock Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, of Methuen; - Chapter, Royal Arch Masons of Lowell; Massachusetts Consistory of Boston; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; and also of Monadnock Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, of Lawrence. His club affiliations include membership in the Merrimac Valley Country Club, and the Episcopalian Club, of Massachusetts. He is a member and junior warden of Grace Episcopal Church, of Lawrence.
On May 25, 1915, Mr. McLanathan married, at Oak Park, Illinois, Helen Barton Kennedy, daugh- ter of David J. Kennedy, and they have two chil- dren: Richard Barton, and Frank Watson, Jr. The family resides at No. 9 Pleasant street, Methuen.
ELIAS EBEN GRIMES The firm of Bride, Grimes & Company, steam fitters, plumbing contrac- tors and dealers in mill supplies, of Lawrence, Mas- sachusetts, was founded in 1869 by W. F. Rutter and conducted by him as W. F. Rutter & Company until 1908, when the business was reorganized un- der the present name, Bride, Grimes & Company. Mr. Grimes has been connected with the business
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since 1888, has been a partner since 1897, and is now (1922) very active in the business which he entered as a young man of twenty-two. He is a lifelong resident of Lawrence, his parents moving to that city in 1866, the year of his birth.
Mr. Grimes is a son of Guy Carlton and Mary Aline (Woodbury) Grimes, his father a successful merchant, who departed this life in 1873, and is yet (1922) survived by his widow, who continues her residence in Lawrence.
Elias Eben Grimes was born in Andover, Massa- chusetts, September 13, 1866, in which year his parents moved to the nearby city of Lawrence, as before stated. He was educated in the public schools, obtaining a good education. Having been left fatherless at the age of seven, he was early thrown upon his own resources. After leaving school he was variously employed, but finally was attracted to the plumbing business, and in 1888, first formed an association with W. F. Rutter, steam fitter and plumber of Lawrence. He con- tinned in Mr. Rutter's employ until 1897, when he was admitted to a partnership in the firm of W. F. Rutter & Company. This old business, started in Lawrence more than a half century ago (1869), has prospered and expanded until the con- tracting operations of the firm extend beyond the limits of its home city, and they are well known over a large section of New England as reliable contractor of steam fitting and plumbing, and dealers in mill supplies. In 1908 the firm under- went reorganization owing to death, and has since operated as Bride, Grimes & Company.
Mr. Grimes is a member of the Chamber of Commerce; Phoenician Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; Mt. Sinai Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; all bodies of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite (in which he holds the thirty-second degree) ; Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine; Lawrence Lodge, No. 65, Be- nevolent and Protective Order of Elks; Lawrence Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; the Home Club; Merrimac Valley Country Club; and the City Mission.
On December 18, 1888, Mr. Grimes married Car- rie M. Rutter, daughter of W. F. Rutter, of Law- rence, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of three daughters: Bertha A .; Mildred L., wife of Arthur Sweeney, of Lawrence; and Caroline R. The family are members of Trinity Congregational Church, of Lawrence, Massachusetts.
CORA ELIZABETH ABBOTT-The first wo- man judge to adorn the bench in a court of gen- eral jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases, has said: "A woman's place is as much in the law as in the home. The entrance of woman into other fields of activity can but demonstrate that her latent capabilities are unmined gold, that the world can not afford to be without." The legal profes- sion of Lawrence, Massachusetts, in March, 1920, welcomed the coming of a share in the "mined gold" of womanhood in the person of Miss Cora
Elizabeth Abbott, for during that month she quietly began the practice of law in that city. Those who know her are expecting great things, for she has the legal mind, the personality and vigor, the many sided ability that makes for success.
Miss Abbott was born at Andover, Massachu- setts, November 12, 1897, the second of seven chil- dren. Her parents were Freeman R. Abbott, a native of Marshalltown, Nova Scotia, Canada, born February 10, 1867, and Isabella Sellers (Graham) Abbott, born in Manchester, New Hampshire, Janu- ary 18, 1871. They were farmers, and perhaps it is partly due to that fact that Miss Abbott had that force and strength that carried her up the steps to her chosen work. Her early education came from the graded schools and high school from which she was graduated in the class of 1916. En- tering the law department of Boston University, she spent three years there, and was graduated in 1919 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. The next year saw her admitted to the Massachusetts Bar at Boston and almost at once she began the conducting of a general law practice in Lawrence. She located her headquarters in the Bay State building, Lawrence, sharing the offices of Cregg & Cregg. The peculiar fitness she has shown in the settlement of certain legal difficulties, the clever- ness and efficiency with which she attacks any problem, and her womanliness without sentimental- ity, have won for her high standing among her associates.
Besides being a member of the Essex County and Lawrence Bar associations she is active as an alum- nus of the Boston Law School. She belongs to the Woman's Auxiliary of the American Legion, and to the Crystal Rebekah Lodge, No. 85, Indepen- dent Order of Odd Fellows. Politically she is a Republican, and in March, 1922, was a candidate for selectman in the town of Andover. Her re- ligious affiliations are with the Congregational church. She resides in Andover, Massachusetts.
RICHARD B. LARKIN, prominent dentist of Haverhill, Massachusetts, was born at Georgetown, May 10, 1886, son of Charles O. and Josephine (Kehoe) Larkin. The former was engaged in the painting business until his death in 1917. Mrs. Kehoe was a native of Medford, Massachusetts.
Richard B. Larkin attended the public schools and prepared for Tufts College, where he gradu- ated in 1912. Immediately he engaged in the prac- tice of his profession in Haverhill and has almost completed his first decade of a successful profes- sional career.
Fraternally, Dr. Larkin is a member of the Knights of Pythias, and of the Agawam Club. During the World War, 1917-18, he was in active service and participated in several of the important Liberty bond, Red Cross and Y. M. C. A. drives.
In 1910 Dr. Larkin married Greta Morse, and their children are: Thelma L., and Bainbridge M. Larkin. They are attendants of the First Baptist Church of Georgetown.
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HARRY CLIFFORD NORTHROP-Well known throughout the city as an expert accountant, Harry Clifford Northrop also holds a prominent place in the public regard as a citizen who is ever willing and ready to give his aid to whatever pertains to the welfare of the community.
Harry Clifford Northrop was born in New Ha- ven, Connecticut, his birth having occurred there April 3, 1887. He is the son of Edwin N. and Edith (Richards) Northrop, the former superin- tendent of the Boys' Club of Lynn. When Harry C. Northrop was very young he was brought by his parents to Worcester, Massachusetts, and here he pursued his studies in the local grammar schools, subsequently removing to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he was graduated from the East Division High School, with the class of 1905. He then matriculated at the University of Wisconsin, where he received the degree of Bachelor of Arts, subse- quently becoming associated with the Milwaukee "Sentinel," and later with the Duluth "Tribune," but this was only a means to an end and in 1913 he came to Lynn, where he took a course at the Lynn branch of the Burdett Business College in bookkeeping, accounting and law. At the comple- tion of this course he was appointed an instruc- tor of mathematics and bookkeeping at the Thibe- deau Business College of Fall River, Massachu- setts, but resigned one year later to accept a posi- tion as head of the commercial department of the Winchester High School, of Winchester, Massachu- setts, and while teaching here, took courses even- ings at the Northeastern College of Boston in ac- counting and law.
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