USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > Municipal history of Essex County in Massachusetts, Volume III > Part 35
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and incorporated in 1865, and is today capitalized at $12,000,000; there are about 7,500 employees, and it has always been an important factor in the pros- perity of the two cities. In 1913 he was made treasurer of the Arlington Mills, which position he holds at this present time (1922). He is a member of the National Association of Wool Manufacturers; belongs to the American Bar Association and the Bar Associations of Boston and Massachusetts. He is a director of the Merchants' Trust Company, Lawrence, Massachusetts, and a corporator of the Essex Savings Bank. Politically he is a Republi- can, but has little taste for public office, although
serving in 1905 and 1906 on the Common Council of Cambridge, Massachusetts. His social and out- of-door interests are reflected in his memberships in the Harvard and the Colonial clubs, Boston, and in the North Andover and the Merrimack Valley Country clubs. He is a member of Dunster Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Cambridge, and Mizpah Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Cam- bridge, Massachusetts.
In 1918 Mr. Chamberlain was married to Annie Robinson Hooper, daughter of George and Emily (Towle) Hooper, of Exeter, New Hampshire. To them have come two children: Albert Henry, Jr., born November 24, 1915; and Barbara, born June 25, 1918. The family home is in Methuen, Mas- sachusetts.
LAWRENCE AUGUSTUS FORD-A member of one of the leading law firms of the city of Bos- ton, and a resident of Beverly, Massachusetts, Law- rence Augustus Ford is widely prominent in the public affairs of both places, and a force for pro- gress.
Mr. Ford was born on September 21, 1874, and is a son of William Henry and Bridget (Mahan) Ford, formerly of Newton, Massachusetts. The family removing to Beverly when Mr. Ford was a child of two years, it was here that he received his early education, in the public schools. He was graduated from the Beverly High School in the class of 1891. Ambitious to enter a profession, the young man went to the Holy Cross College, at Worcester, Massachusetts, and was graduated from that institution in 1895, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then entered Harvard University Law School, from which he was graduated in 1898, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws, and was admitted to the bar on February 12, of the same year. Mr. Ford entered upon the general practice of law in Boston, with the firm of Gaston, Snow, Saltonstall & Hunt, in September, 1898, and this association still continues, Mr. Ford having been admitted to the firm in 1912. This is one of the most noted firms of attorneys in the city of Boston, and Mr. Ford is taking a constructive part in the progress and success of the extensive law business which they handle.
Mr. Ford is a member of the American Bar Association, the Massachusetts Bar Association, the Boston Bar Association, and also the Essex County
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Bar Association. In various directions outside his profession, Mr. Ford is active. He has been a trus- tee of the Beverly Public Library. During the recent World War he was very prominent in Red Cross work. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, and of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and is also a member of the Har- vard Club, of Boston.
ANSON B. AYER, box manufacturer, head of the Haverhill firm of Ayer & Webster, and owner of the factory in which he has worked for more than forty years, is a well known and respected business man of Haverhill. He was born in Hamp- stead, New Hampshire, in 1862, the son of Albert and Lydia M. (Hoyt) Ayer, of Hampstead, New Hampshire, the former a hatter by trade.
Anson B. Ayer received his education in the local schools, but was not very far advanced in nonage, or teenage, when he began to work. He first worked five years for the G. H. Hoyt & Son box factory, before working for M. A. Howe. This Haverhill factory was originally established by M. A. Howe, and for many years conducted by her. Later, the business passed to Morse & Hoyt, and still later the trading name became C. M. Hoyt. To him Anson B. Ayer was related, through his mother. For forty years, without break, Mr. Ayer has worked in this factory, and of course with the years was given increasingly responsible position in its affairs, until eventually he became one of the firm. In 1911, the trading name was again changed, becoming Ayer & Webster, with Mr. Ayer as prin- cipal owner. As such the factory has since been steadily operated, having good connections for its products, shoe boxes. Mr. Ayer is a member of the local lodge of Odd Fellows, and belongs to the An- cient Order of United Workmen, also to the Haver- hill Grange. Socially, he holds membership in the Pentucket Club.
Mr. Ayer married, in 1882, Fannie Dias, of Haver- hill, daughter of Robert and Hattie (Bly) Dias, the former a Scot by birth. They have three children: Forest D., George H., and Marion F.
GEORGE H. W. HAYES One of the most prominent professional men of Ipswich, Massachu- setts, is George H. W. Hayes, attorney, whose ac- tivities embrace many branches of public endeavor, as well as a successful private practice.
Mr. Hayes was born in Georgetown, Massachu- setts, on March 16, 1871, and is a son of John and Catherine (Mahoney) Hayes. Laying the founda- tion for a broad education in the public schools of his native place, Mr. Hayes continued there through the grammar grades and the high school, then en- tered Boston University Law School, from which he was graduated in the class of 1895. Passing the examinations for admittance to the Massachusetts bar in the same year, he came to Ipswich in 1896, and since that time has carried on the general prac- tice of law here. Mr. Hayes' prominence in various
branches of the public service form a just appraisal of his success.
Mr. Hayes is a member of the Essex County Bar Association and of the Salem Bar Association, be- ing a member of the executive committee of the latter organization. He was appointed special jus- tice of the Third District Court of Essex county in 1906, serving until 1915, with the exception of such periods as his duties of a public nature called him out of town. In 1915 he was appointed justice of the Third District Court of Essex county by David I. Walsh. During the World War he served as chairman of the Local Exemption Board, District No. 21, State of Massachusetts. He specializes in real estate and probate law.
In the civic activities of Ipswich Mr. Hayes has long been a leader. He served as town counsel from 1900 to 1913. He was a member and chair- man of the Ipswich School Committee from 1905 to 1914, and was a member of the Electric Light and . Water Commission from 1904 to 1919. In 1913 his services to the town were recognized by his election as representative to the Massachusetts State Legis- lature, and while a member of that body he served on the Committee on Legal Affairs.
Among his other interests it should be noted that Mr. Hayes is attorney for the Ipswich Savings Bank and for the Ipswich Co-operative Bank. He is a member of the Essex County Republican Club, of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of the Knights of Columbus.
On April 30, 1901, Mr. Hayes married Helen F. O'Brien, daughter of William F. and Sarah (Dunn) O'Brien. Mr. and Mrs. Hayes have four children: Althea V., born June 13, 1902; William F., born February 15, 1904; Zelda. M., born May 25, 1905; and George M., born July 19, 1907.
HUGH LEWIS MOORE, D. D. S., of Newbury- port, Massachusetts, was born November 19, 1894, in Taunton, Massachusetts, son of Hugh Joseph and Mary Elizabeth (Maher) Moore. He attended the public schools of Boston, and was graduated from Tufts Dental College in 1914. For the subsequent three years Dr. Moore worked in association with Dr. Kelley, of Boston, then came to Newburyport in 1917, when he engaged in practice for himself. His practice is a general one, specializing in oral surgery. Dr. Moore is a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks; the Knights of Columbus; and the Newbury Golf Club.
ROBINSON Y. RUSSELL-Long active in jour- nalism in Lynn, Massachusetts, and now manufac- turing paper boxes extensively, with a plant at Chelsea, Massachusetts, Robinson Y. Russell is a representative man of the day.
Mr. Russell was born and educated in Manchester, New Hampshire, and came to Lynn as a young man to enter the world of industry, having learned the printer's trade in his native State. For a time he followed job printing, as he was able to avail him-
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self of desirable opportunities. Later he was con- nected with the "Bee," then a leading newspaper of Lynn. With the comprehensive development of this section, and the multiplicity of manufacturing inter- ests, Mr. Russell saw the opportunity in producing small paper boxes, which were in universal demand. Accordingly, he purchased the plant and interests of Weeks & Company, theretofore manufacturers in this line, in Saugus Center. Under the name of R. Y. Russell he continued this business, and so ap- preciably increased it that more commodious quar- ters became an imperative necessity. The most de- sirable location was found in West Lynn, hence the removal from Saugus Center. The business continued to grow, particularly after its incorpora- tion as Russell's Sons' Company, and further ex- pansion became necessary. Again the securing of a satisfactory location involved a change of address, and the business has since been one of the progress- ive manufacturing interests of Chelsea, although the greater part of its history has been identified with Essex county. The concern manufactures all kinds of small paper boxes, and in connection with the factory, operates a printing plant. Mr. Russell has for many years been a member of the Knights of Pythias, and is a member of the Congregational church.
Over fifty years ago, in Lynn, Mr. Russell married Frances Adelaide Rowell, daughter of Joseph M. Rowell, who was for many years a customs house officer in Lynn. They were the parents of three children: Harlow, Waldo, and Harriet, the latter now the wife of Fred V. Hart. Mr. Hart was born in Hope Valley, Rhode Island, in 1875, and was edu- cated at Taunton and Lynn, specializing in drawing at night schools, and prepared for the profession of electrical engineer. He is now associated with the E. E. Winkley Company, of Lynn, Massachu- setts, and also teaches drawing in the public schools of the city at night. Mr. and Mrs. Hart have three children: Annabelle and Miriam, twins, and Esther. Mrs. Hart is broadly active in the public movements of the day, and a moving spirit in the women's clubs of Lynn. She is at present (1921) vice-chair- man of the Republican City Committee, and is also a member of the school board of Lynn, and an ear- nest worker for progress in all branches of endeavor.
JOHN FRANKLIN JORDAN, M. D .- Among the many professions that of medicine is the most ennobling and helpful to mankind, and the mem- bers thereof should be men of high character and integrity, capable of sacrifice and of the utmost de- votion to the interests of their fellow men. These traits are prominent in the character of Dr. John Franklin Jordan, whose useful career has gained for him a liberal patronage.
Dr. Jordan was born in Poland, Maine, Septem- Fer 9, 1867, the son of Joseph H. and Ellen A. (Bachelder) Jordan, the former a native of the State of Maine, the latter of New Hampshire.
passed in his native place until his parents brought him to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where in the pub- lic schools of that city he obtained his elementary education. After graduating from the high school he worked for several years, and then, having chosen the profession of medicine for his life work, he matriculated at the University of Michigan, from which he was graduated with the degree of Doctor of Medicine in 1900. That same year he passed the Massachusetts State Board examinations, and then established himself in the active practice of his profession in Haverhill, where he remained for about three years, subsequently removing to his present location, at No. 76 Lynn street, Peabody. Dr. Jordan is a member of the American Medical Association, the Massachusetts State Medical As- sociation, and the Peabody Doctors' Club. In every- thing pertaining to the welfare of the city which he has chosen for his home he takes an active in- terest and has been chairman of the building com- mittee; trustee of the Peabody Institute; and is now a director of the Warren Five Cent Savings Bank of Peabody. He has served the city as school physi- cian, and was also a member of the school committee for many years. He affiliates with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Knights of Pythias. In religion he is a Congregationalist and attends the Second Church of that denomination.
On May 26, 1894, Dr. Jordan was united in mar- riage with Mary A. Marble, of Haverhill, and they are the parents of six children: Esther, wife of Rus- sell A. Walker, of Peabody; Wendell F., a mechani- cal engineer, of Lynn, Massachusetts, who married Louisa Montgomery, and during the World War was an ensign in the United States navy; Arthur C., a student in the Medical Department of Har- vard University; Agnes, Eugene, and Dora E.
ASAHEL HUNTINGTON was a descendant in the seventh generation from Simon Huntington, who, while on passage to New England from Eng- land in 1633 with his wife and five children, died at sea. Three of these children later acquired homes in Connecticut, among them Christopher Hunting- ton, the second son, who was one of the patentees of the town of Norwich. Christopher (2) Hunting- ton, son of Christopher (1) Huntington, owned a farm in Franklin, upon which his descendants long lived. Barnabas Huntington, son of Christopher (2) Huntington, was the father of Rev. Asahel Huntington, who was graduated with high honors from Dartmouth College in 1786, and in 1789 was ordained pastor of the church at Topsfield, where he continued his ministerial service until his death in April, 1813, aged fifty-two. He was a true type of the New England pastor, a type that is unknown to the present generation, but was known to the poet. Goldsmith, as the village preacher.
"A man he was to all the country dear,
And passing rich, with forty pounds a year." He, like others of his profession, taught the vil-
The early childhood of John Franklin Jordan was lage school and had private pupils whom he fitted
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for, college, and also cultivated a small farm. One of his pupils was Nehemiah Cleveland, LL.D., the elegant scholar and accomplished gentleman who long presided over that ancient institution, Dummer Academy. Rev. Asahel Huntington married Ale- thea Lord, one of the five daughters of Dr. Elisha Lord, of Pomfret, Connecticut, "a good physician and a good man." She is described as a lady of re- markable dignity and gentleness, prepossessing in appearance; of exceeding kindliness and disinter- ested devotion to others, and of beautiful piety. She died August 81, 1850, surviving her husband, and most fondly cherished by her sons till her death at the age of eighty-four. There were six in this family, the eldest, Lieutenant-Governor Elisha Huntington, M. D .; the second son, Asahel, whose memory is herein commemorated; the third son, Hezekiah, who died in Vermont in 1828. The other children were daughters, all of whom died young.
Asahel Huntington, second son of Rev. Asahel and Alethea (Lord) Huntington, was born at Tops- field, Essex county, Massachusetts, July 23, 1798, died at Beverly, Massachusetts, September 5, 1870, and was buried with his parents and kindred in the cemetery at Topsfield. His education began under his scholarly father, whom he lost when fifteen years of age, was continued at Phillips Andover Academy, which he entered in 1818, and in the fall of 1815 he entered Yale College, whence he was graduated in course, class of 1819. President Wool- sey, who was one class behind him, testifies that the younger students considered Asahel Huntington as the leading man of his class, although his gradu- ation rank was second. He was president of his class in his senior year, and in the literary society the recognized class leader.
After leaving college, Asahel Huntington began the study of law under John Scott, of Newburyport, and for a year resided in the family of Asa D. Wildes, whose place he supplied. for one year as teacher in the high school. That interruption lengthened his law course, and it was not until four and one-half years later that he was ready for ex- amination. He had, in the meantime, early in 1822, moved to Salem, and there became a law student under Judge Cummins, and a fellow-student with . Rufus Choate. He passed his bar examinations with honor, and was admitted in March, 1824. He at once began practice, and had as competitors a num- ber of gifted young lawyers who later became fa- mous. These included Messrs. Choate, Rantoul, Cushing and others, but Mr. Huntington was not to be denied, and he quickly won popular confidence and a practice.
As a lawyer, the strength of Asahel Huntington was as a prosecutor, and of him in that capacity it could be said, as of Burke, that "as an accuser he was terrific." In attack he used all weapons at his command, and used them with tremendous energy. He managed his own case with great skill, and in addressing a jury he had a wonderful power to awaken that subtle, sympathetic response in their
minds which wins more surely than weight of argu- ment. But this by no means implies that his suc- cess was limited to criminal practice, for he had an extensive general practice, and was retained in many of the more important civil causes of his day. He was perhaps best known to his brethren of the profession as clerk of the courts of Essex county.
In 1830 Mr. Huntington was appointed county attorney, an office that was superseded by that of district attorney, the district embracing Essex and Middlesex counties. To this new office he was ap- pointed and he held it continuously until 1845, when he resigned. Middlesex county was detached from the district, and in 1847 Mr. Huntington accepted the office for Essex county. In April, 1851, he was appointed by the Supreme Judicial Court, clerk of the courts of Essex county, and with his acceptance his private practice of law ceased. The office was at first appointive, but later was made elective, and he was chosen to it by the people, was twice re- elected, and was holding the office at the time of his death, September 5, 1870.
As early as 1827 Mr. Huntington was elected to represent Essex county in the Massachusetts Legis- lature, and he could have been returned but for his opposing the incorporation of Salem Theatre. In 1853 he was a member of the Massachusetts Consti- tutional Convention, and Mayor of Salem. From 1827 to 1829 he was a member and clerk of the Salem School Board, and also served the following years: 1830-1832, 1840-1842, 1846-1847, 1857-1858, making thirteen years of school board service, which may stand as competent evidence as to his interest in the cause of public education. His interest in those institutions of which he had been a student was lifelong. When in 1865 Phillips Andover Academy met with a severe fire loss, Mr. Hunting- ton made quick response to the call made upon the alumni for aid, and was interested in a class bene- faction to Yale College while chairman of a class meeting held in 1865. For twenty-four years, 1846- 1870, he was trustee of Dummer Academy, and from May, 1861, to May, 1865, he was president of the Essex Institute in Salem. He was president of the Salem Dispensary Association; an official member and staunch friend of Massachusetts Temperance Alliance; honorary member of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions; and a gen- erous contributor to many good causes. He had business interests in Salem which resulted in his becoming president of the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Company, the largest manufacturing corporation in Salem, and he was a director of the Holyoke Insur- ance Company.
Mr. Huntington's religious convictions were very decided, and he warmly cherished the faith of his fathers. He was a most exemplary worshipper, rarely being absent from his seat in the church on the Sabbath day. While he never made public pro- fession nor joined any church, his liberal spirit in that respect was not inconsistent with the positive opinions he held. The fundamental thing with him
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was his conviction of the Divine authority of the Scriptures as a rule of faith.
Asahel Huntington married, in August, 1842, Mrs. Caroline Louisa (De Blois) Tucker, widow of Charles C. C. Tucker, of Boston, Massachusetts, and mother of a son, Richard D. Tucker, then a lad of nine years, who later became a partner of Peele, Hubbell & Company, at Manila. The Huntington home in Salem was an abode of generous hospital- ity and of rare domestic happiness. Mr. and Mrs. Huntington were the parents of three children: William De Blois, Sarah Louisa, and Arthur Lord, of whom only the two younger survived their father.
The Essex Bar Association, at a special meeting held September 6, 1870, took appropriate action upon the death of Asahel Huntington, and on Mon- day, September 9, 1870, in the Superior Court, then in session in Salem, Judge Pulnam presiding, trial was suspended that a memorial prepared by the bar might be presented to the court. After the reading of the memorial by Alfred A. Abbott, several mem- bers spoke in eulogy of their dead comrade, Judge Pulnam closing with an eloquent tribute to his friend. The Essex Institute adopted a series of resolutions upon the death of their former presi- dent, which acknowledged the indebtedness of the institute to his interest, and the City Council, through its Board of Aldermen and Common Coun- cil, paid fitting tribute to their former chief magis- trate, Asahel Huntington. The directors of the Naumkeag Steam Cotton Company expressed their appreciation of the life and character of their late president in resolutions most cordial and apprecia- tive. From Dummer Academy, from the Holyoke Mutual Fire Insurance Company, and from Essex South District Temperance Union, came similar resolutions of respect and appreciation, while Essex Institute held a special meeting, at which a lengthy memorial address was delivered by Otis P. Lord.
There were incidents of interest in the life of Asahel Huntington to which reference might be made. His devotion to his widowed mother, who survived her husband nearly forty years, was most touching. Several years after her death, at the age of eighty-five, he thus refers to her: "She has been the delight and charm of my life, and I will cherish her memory in all honor and with the highest filial love." But the life of Mr. Huntington did not con- sist of here and there a brilliant exhibition; an oc- casional exploit; no extraordinary effort to startle or enchant. "There was rather a daily beauty which everywhere and at all times gave a charm to his life, developing a well-formed and symmetrical character-of active duty, kindly and faithfully done; of constant sympathy flowing in continuous benevolence; and unfailing integrity, seeking to be right rather than to be brilliant, dealing justly and truly in all conditions of life."
JAMES J. OWENS, box manufacturer, head of the firm of John Owens & Company, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, is a native of that place, born Feb-
ruary 28, 1880, the son of John and Catherine (Duffe) Owens, the former originally of Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the latter of Lowell, Massachusetts.
James J. Owens received his academic education in Haverhill public schools, and went to Boston for a commercial course in the Bryant & Stratton Com- mercial School. After graduating therefrom he as- sociated in business with his father in the manu- facture of wooden and paper boxes for the shoe in- dustry in particular, and in course of time devel- oped one of the largest manufacturing businesses in Haverhill in that line. John Owens died February 4, 1915, and since that time his son, James J., has been in control of the company's operations. The factory is situated at No. 402 River street, and an indication of its importance and volume of trading is conveyed by its extent, the plant having capacity of 26,000 square feet, and employing more than sixty persons. In addition, Mr. Owens is the treas- urer and one of the principal owners of the Newton Box Company, of Haverhill.
Mr. Owens holds industriously to business, and has sought no office in the public administration, though he takes a helpful interest in the public af- fairs of the community. Fraternally he is a mem- ber of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, and of the Knights of Columbus. Socially he be- longs to the Pentucket Club, and finds healthful ex- ercise on the links of the Island Golf Club occa- sionally.
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