USA > Massachusetts > Middlesex County > Newton > Newton, Garden City of the Commonwealth > Part 11
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16
Mr. Slocum is very popular and is a member and past master of Dalhousie Lodge of Masons, a member of the Bos- ton Bar Association, of the Boston Con- gregational Club, of the Massachusetts Club, of the Boston Athletic Association, of the Newton Club, and a member and clerk of the Central Congregational Church of Newtonville.
119
GEORGE M. FISKE.
He also served on the school commit- tee of Newton from 1874 to 1877, and was a representative in the legislature in 1888 and 1889, and was chairman of the com- mittee on cities in 1889.
Mr. Slocum has been twice married, his first wife being Miss Annie Pulsifier, by whom there were three children, Agnes E., Charles P. and Winfield S., Jr. His sec- ond wife was Sarah M. Barry.
GEORGE MANN FISKE was born in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachu- setts, May 2, 1842, being the son of George and Amy P. Fiske of that town. He received his education in the public schools of Medfield and when nineteen years of age enlisted in the 42nd Regi- ment, Massachusetts Volunteers.
On his return from the war he engaged for several years in farming, and removed to Boston in 1871. His business is that of manufacturing and dealing in clay build- ing material, cements and fire brick. His specialties have been architectural terra cotta and fine face brick of various colors, so extensively used now in our finest build- ings. In these lines he has been a leader,
and his product can be found in nearly all the large cities of the country east of the Rocky Mountains. Mr. Fiske is now the president of the National Association of Brick Manufacturers. He is at the head of the firm of Fiske & Co. and president of the Fiske Brick Company.
Mr. Fiske has resided in Newton for the last twenty-five years, and served in the common council and board of alder- men in 1883 and 1884. He has always been active in advancing good government and public improvements. He is not a club man, the Newton Congregational Club being the only organization of that nature to which he belongs. He is also a member of Charles Ward Post, G. A. R., but of no other order.
Mr. Fiske has always been interested in mission work in Boston and for ten years has been the president of the Union Res- cue Mission on Dover Street.
In 1881 Mr. Fiske built his present residence, 438 Walcot Street, Auburndale, one of the substantial residences of New- ton. Surrounded by ample grounds with many beautiful shade trees, it has made an ideal home.
In 1864 Mr. Fiske married Sarah W. Wilder of Medfield. Their children living are J. Parker B. Fiske and Amy P. Fiske.
HENRY DAVIS BASSETT was born in Middleboro, Mass., Sept. 8, 1817, his parents being Caleb and Mary ( Holmes) Bassett. His ancestry is traced to William Bassett, who emigrated from Leyden, Holland, in 1621, in the first ship to follow the Mayflower. William Bassett and Myles Standish were the original pro- prietors of West Bridgewater, Mass.
Henry D. Bassett was brought up on a farm in the school of economy and thrift. With the stern Puritan ideas he imbibed those sterling qualities which followed him in his whole business career of honesty and integrity. After attending the schools of his native town he worked on the farm, but being ambitious and knowing he must carve his own fortune, he commenced the
120
15%
HENRY D. BASSETT.
manufacture of shoes. This led to his re- moval in 1851 to Chicago, where the firm of Doggett, Bassett & Hills was formed. This was the pioneer firm of the West in that line of business. In 1858 the firm re- quired a financial partner in the East, and Mr. Bassett removed his home to Newton, where he resided on Centre Street until his death, Sept. 11, 1891. In 1877 he became totally blind, an affliction he bore with great patience and courage, and with the help of a writing frame continued his business and personal correspondence.
He was a member of the Congregational churches in Middleboro and Chicago and of the Eliot Church in Newton. Of strong social instincts, he took delight in the soci- ety of his friends, and served as president of the Newton Literary Association and as president of the Newton Musical Asso- ciation.
Mr. Bassett was twice married. His first wife was Lydia Peirce Staples, and their children were Miss Mary, Miss Ellen, Arthur Henry and Isabel Bassett, the wife of Mr. Herbert Whitcomb. Mr. Bassett's second wife was Miss Annette Burfield Ashby.
CHARLES SIDNEY ENSIGN, al- derman at large from Ward 7, was born in Hartford, Conn., July 26, 1842, and is the son of Sidney A. and Julia M. ( Brock- way) Ensign.
He was educated in the public and pri- vate schools of Farmington and Hartford, Conn., the Harvard Law School, where he received the degree of LL. B. in 1863, was in the Graduate School of Harvard University, and in 1865-1866 connected with the College of France, Paris.
He began the practice of his profession as a lawyer in Hartford, Conn., in 1868 removed to New York, and since 1885 has been in Boston, and maintains connec- tions in each of these cities.
Mr. Ensign has always had an inclina- tion towards public life, and served in the Hartford common council in 1865; was one of Brooklyn's "Committee of 100," and later president of the Brooklyn Citi- zens' Association, 22nd Ward, 1876-79 ; president of the Brooklyn Taxpayers' Cen- tral Association, 1878; was a member of the Watertown, Mass., school committee, 1886-94 ; a trustee (chairman 1888-90) of the public library of that town, 1887-
CHARLES S. ENSIGN.
I21
-
RESIDENCE, EDWARD SAWYER, BELLEVUE STREET.
90 ; and represented Watertown and Bel- board of aldermen in 1901 and 1902. mont in the legislature in 1891, and has Mr. Ensign has been a notary public and a justice of the peace for many years, and has served as United States Commissioner of the Court of Claims. served as town moderator. In 1895 he failed by twenty-one votes of an election as senator. In 1899 he removed to his present residence on Billings Park, New- He is sole honorary member of the Historical Society of Watertown ; a coun- ton, and has represented his ward in the
RESIDENCE, PRESCOTT C. BRIDGHAM, NEWTONVILLE AVENUE.
122
cillor of the New England Historic Gene- alogical Society; a member of the Con- necticut Historical Society, the American Historical Association, the Harvard Law School Association, the Boston Congrega- tional Club ; councillor of the Actors' Church Alliance ; a director of the New- ton Associated Charities ; a vice-president of the Newton Choral Association ; asso- ciate member of Charles Ward Post, No. 62, G. A. R ; and has served as clerk of the Eliot Religious Society since 1890.
born in Perth Amboy, N. J., Dec. 26, 1848, his parents being Stephen G. and Sarah F. Woodbridge.
He received his education at Williams College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and, choosing sanitary en- gineering as a profession, began a career which has made him famous throughout the country.
Professor Woodbridge is chairman of the committee on car and steamboat sanitation of the American Public Health Association
-
-
CENTRAL CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, NEWTONVILLE.
Mr. Ensign married Miss Angeline Faxon Barker of Brighton, and they have two children, Angie Gertrude and Charles Sidney Ensign, Jr.
SAMUEL HOMER WOOD- BRIDGE, the well-known expert and authority on heating and ventilating, was
and a director of the New England Watch and Ward Society, and of the Floating Hospital. He attends the Old South Congregational Church, Boston, and re- sides on Otis Street, West Newton.
He married Miss Adele Reed Taylor of Cambridge, and they have three chil- dren, Stephen Taylor, Philip Dudley and Helen Woodbridge.
123
WILLIAM H. COOLIDGE.
WILLIAM HENRY COOLIDGE, one of the successful barristers of Boston, was born in Natick Feb. 23, 1859, and is a son of William Leander and Sarah Isa- bella (Washburn) Coolidge.
His education was obtained in the high schools of Natick and Newton, Harvard College (1881), Harvard Law School, and after studying law in the office of Hyde, Dickinson & Howe, he was admitted to the bar in 1885.
Mr. Coolidge has a most successful practice, including many large corporations among his clients.
He is a member of the Newton, Chest- nut Hill and various clubs in Boston, and attends the First Parish Church at New- ton Centre.
He married Miss May Humphreys of St. Louis in 1887, and with two children, Isabelle and William Humphreys, resides in a beautiful estate on Gray Cliff Road, Newton Centre.
WILLIAM FREDERICK HAM- METT, vice-president of the Boston Sub- urban Electrics Companies, was born in
New Bedford, Mass., and is the son of James and Lydia (Dexter) Hammett. He received his education in the public schools of his native town, followed by a course at the Bryant & Stratton College in Boston. Mr. Hammett then entered the banking business with his father, the firm being James Hammett & Sons of Boston until he retired in 1894.
Besides his connection with the Boston Suburban Electrics Companies, Mr. Ham- mett is a director in the Newton Street Railway, Newton & Boston Street Rail- way, Wellesley & Boston Street Railway, Lexington & Boston Street Railway, Com- monwealth Avenue Street Railway, the Norumbega Park, Federal Trust of Boston, Newtonville Trust and the Waltham Gas- light companies and the Bingham Con- solidated Mining and Smelting Company of Utah. He is also a trustee of several estates.
Mr. Hammett is a member of the Chan- ning Church and belongs to the Unitarian and Hunnewell clubs.
He married Miss Emma Frances Harts- horn, and they reside on Sargent Street, Newton.
WILLIAM F. HAMMETT.
124
EDWARD J. H. ESTABROOKS.
EDWARD JAMES HARRIS ES- TABROOKS was born April 16, 1841, at Canning, Queen's County, N. B., his parents being Charles and Hannah L. Estabrooks. He was educated in the common schools of his native place and at the Baptist Seminary at Fredericton, and in 1860 qualified as a teacher in the Pro- vincial Model and Training School at St. John. In September, 1863, he came to Boston and entered business with the firm of Simons Brothers & Co., and remained with them for nearly twenty years, when he began business on his own account as a commission merchant.
Mr. Estabrooks takes an active interest in public matters and served his ward in the common council in 1890 ; was a repre- sentative to the General Court in 1893-94.
He is a member of the Middlesex and Hunnewell clubs, and served three years as president of the New England Com- mercial Travellers' Association.
Mr. Estabrooks married Miss Emma Ross Jones, and they have one son, Ed- ward Ross Estabrooks.
Mr. Estabrooks resides on Boyd Street, Newton.
HARVEY STUART CHASE, a well-known public accountant of Boston, was born in Portsmouth, N. H., June 18, 1861, and is the son of R. Stuart and Ada L. (Harvey) Chase. He was educated in the schools of Haverhill, Mass., and gradu- ated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1883 as a mechanical en- gineer. He then entered the cotton mills and print works of Manchester, N. H., and in 1886 became superintendent of the waterworks and of the gaslight company at Great Falls, N. H., and later was treas- urer of these corporations. Afterwards he was treasurer and auditor of various cor- porations in New York City, and in 1897 took up the profession of expert account- ing in Boston. Mr. Chase has made a specialty of municipal accounting, and is identified with the work of the National Municipal League upon the subject of uni- form municipal accounting and statistics.
Mr. Chase is a member of the Newton Club, the Twentieth Century Club, the Technology Club, Economics Club, Re- form Club (New York), Society for Psychical Research, National Municipal League, American Society of Mechanical
HARVEY S. CHASE.
125
Engineers (New York), American Eco- nomic Association, and is the secretary of the Incorporated Public Accountants of Massachusetts.
In 1886 Mr. Chase married Miss Aaronette E. F. Rowe of Haverhill, and with their two children resides on Birch Hill Road, Newtonville.
WILLIAM CUMMINGS RICH- ARDSON, the well-known architect, was born March 12, 1854, at Concord, N. H., and he is the son of David Cummings Richardson and Henrietta Goodwin. He received his education at the Lawrence High School of Lawrence, Mass., and at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and further fitted himself for his profes- sion by travel and study in Europe.
He is now a member of the well-known firm of Hartwell, Richardson & Driver of Boston, among whose works in our city are the Newton Club, the Newton Ma- sonic Building, the Central Congregational Church, the Newton High School, the Horace Mann, Hyde, Bigelow and new Mason schools.
WILLIAM C. RICHARDSON.
EDWARD H. MASON.
Mr. Richardson is a member of the First Church of Malden, but attends the New Church at Newtonville. He is also a member of Dalhousie Lodge of Masons, of Gethsemane Commandery, of Newton Royal Arch Chapter, of Mt. Ida Council, R. A., and of the Newton Club.
Mr. Richardson married Miss Frances Shippen Webster, and with a family of three children, Constance Henrietta, Web- ster and Hadwin Houghton Richardson, resides on Highland Avenue, Newtonville.
EDWARD HAVEN MASON was born at Newton Centre, Mass., June 8, 1849, his parents being David Haven and Sarah Wilson ( White) Mason.
He was educated in the public schools of Newton, graduating from the high school in 1865 and from Harvard Col- lege in the class of 1869 with the degree of A. B., and received the degree of A. M. in 1872.
He was admitted to the practice of law in the Supreme Court of Massachusetts in 1872 and to the United States Circuit Court in April, 1895.
126
Mr. Mason was appointed a special justice of the Newton police court when it was established in 1876, and served until his resignation Feb. 12, 1902.
He was a member of the common council in 1882, 1883 and 1884, of the board of aldermen in 1885 and 1886, and of the school committee in 1894, 1895 and 1896.
Mr. Mason is a charter member of the Newton Club and an original member of The Neighbors of Newton Centre.
He married Miss Lelia Sylvina Nick- erson, daughter of Thomas and Sylvina Nickerson, and they have three daughters, Edna Sarah, Ella Sylvina and Florence June Mason.
EDWARD KIMBALL HALL, of the firm of Powers, Hall & Jones, law- vers, was born in Granville, Ill., July 9, 1870, and is the son of Captain Charles P. and Lucia C. Hall.
He received his education at St. Johns- bury Academy, '88, Dartmouth College, '92, and Harvard Law School, '96, and im- mediately began the practice of law in Boston.
EDWARD K. HALL.
WILLIAM T. FARLEY.
While at Dartmouth Mr. Hall was cap- tain of the football and track teams, a member of the 'varsity ball team, and for several years has been president of the Dartmouth athletic council. At Harvard he was an editor of the Harvard Law Re- view.
Mr. Hall is a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, Casque and Gauntlet Senior Society, Phi Beta Kappa, of the Newton Club, Newton Boat Club, Boston Press Club, Boston Bar Associa- tion and the Massachusetts Republican Club.
Mr. Hall married Miss Sally Maynard Drew of Lancaster, N. H. Their home is on Grove Hill, Newtonville.
WILLIAM THAYER FARLEY, a well-known resident of Auburndale, was born in Boston Jan. 9, 1855, and is the son of ex-Alderman Noah W. and Per- melia H. Farley. He was educated in the public schools of Boston and at Hol- brook's Military Academy at Sing Sing, N. Y.
Upon completing his education Mr. Farley entered business with his father and
127
GEORGE PETTEE.
is now a member of the firm of Farley, Harvey & Co., dry goods merchants, of Boston.
Mr. Farley is one of the wardens of the Church of the Messiah at Auburndale, and is one of the three charter members of the Newton Boat Club now members of the Club.
He married Miss Marion A. Thayer of New York, and with their two children, Mortimer Thayer and Barbara Farley, re- sides on Central Street, Auburndale.
GEORGE PETTEE, one of the best- known men in public life in the city, was born at Newton Upper Falls Oct. 28, 1828, his parents being Otis and Matilda Pettee. He received his education in the public schools of Newton and at the Wilbraham Academy. At an early age he was asso- ciated with his father in the Pettee Ma- chine Works in the manufacture of cotton machinery, and travelled extensively all over the country. He was also manager of his father's thread and sheeting factory until the death of Mr. Otis Pettee in 1853, when he succeeded to a third part- nership in the Pettee Machine Works, the
predecessor of the present firm of the Saco and Pettee Machine Works.
Mr. Pettee always took a deep interest in the public affairs of his native place and served as chief of its fire department from 1861 to 1869 ; as an assessor in 1872; as a member of the common council in 1875 ; as an overseer of the poor in 1877; and as an alderman from 1884 to 1890 inclusive, the last five years being president of the board. Mr. Pettee was also a director of the First National Bank of West Newton, a member of the Newton Club, of the Vet- eran Firemen, and an honorary member of the Grand Army of the Republic.
Mr. Pettee married Miss Delia Wether- ell, the daughter of Jacob B. Wetherell, for many years the business associate of his father, and they had two daughters, Misses Ethel D. and Florence Pettee.
Mr. Pettee resided all his life in the vil- lage of Newton Upper Falls, and died June 15, 1896.
MELLEN BRAY, whose name is associated with several inventions of great practical utility and value, was born in the town of Turner, Me., Jan. 12, 1829, and
T
MELLEN BRAY.
128
ISAAC F. KINGSBURY.
is a son of William B. and Nancy ( Brad- ford) Bray. On the paternal side he is a descendant of one of four brothers who came from Normandy, France, and on his mother's side he is connected with the fa- mous colonial governor, William Bradford, in the seventh generation.
The youth of Mellen Bray was passed at Turner, Me., where he received the edu- cational advantages of the public schools.
At seventeen years of age he went to work in the carding mill of his father, and in 1849, with his brother William, he pur- chased a general country store at Turner, continuing in this business for five years.
In 1858 he moved to Montreal and remained until 1863, when he came to Boston and purchased a general machine shop, which gave him abundant scope for his mechanical ingenuity.
In 1865 he patented a machine to pro- duce seamless metal boxes, also a device for lacing shoes which later led to the tubu- lar rivet and lacing studs. This business, now located at Wollaston, Mass., con- sumes eight tons of metal daily and oper- ates many intricate machines, many of which were invented by Mr. Bray.
The business is now under his manage- ment as a corporation under the name of the Tubular Rivet and Stud Company.
Mr. Bray was married in 1850 to Persis Temple Gross of Turner, Me., and three children survive, Persis Davis, Mellen Newton and William Claxton Bray. Mr. Bray's residence is in Newton Centre, where he has lived since 1863.
ISAAC FRANKLIN KINGS- BURY, city clerk of Newton, third son of Isaac and Mary A. (Homer) Kingsbury, was born in the Chestnut Hill district of the city, then known as East Newton, Jan. 2, 1841, in the old homestead purchased by his grandfather in 1816. He attended the Newton schools and the Normal School at Bridgewater. Upon graduation he pre- ferred to reimburse the state for his tuition, and entered the agency in Boston of the Taunton Copper Company, remaining till his enlistment Aug. 13, 1862, in the New- ton Company K, 32nd Massachusetts Vol- unteer Infantry. He received promotion as sergeant in his company, sergeant major of the regiment, second lieutenant, first lieu- tenant and adjutant, and captain. On the
LIEUT. I. F. KINGSBURY, Adjutant 32nd Massachusetts Volunteers.
129
latter commission he could not be mus- tered on account of the reduced number of men in the regiment. Frequent narrow escapes from injury were his lot, as in every regiment fighting in the army of the Potomac. At Gettysburg his sword had been sheathed to more readily assist the colonel, who called that he was wounded, when a rebel shot struck the steel scabbard, which had swung to the right leg, in- denting it but saving the leg. The sword, never since drawn, was sent safely home.
In the spring of 1864 Lieutenant Kings- bury was detached from his regiment and assigned to duty as brigade inspector of the
forwarding detachments of recruits. At the close of the war, being mustered out July 13, 1865, he entered the United States customs service. Becoming interested in the volunteer militia, he assisted in organ- izing the " Claflin Guards," being elected its first captain. In 1872 he was appointed chief clerk of the Adjutant General's De- partment of Massachusetts, also assist- ant adjutant general, with rank of colonel, holding this position under each executive from Governor William B. Washburn to Governor Benjamin F. Butler, resigning from the staff of the latter upon election as city clerk, March 26, 1883.
4
ELIOT BLOCK, CENTRE STREET.
2nd Brigade, Ist Division, 5th Corps, and at the charge on Laurel Hill, May 12, re- ceived a severe contusion of the right breast from a spent canister shot, but was not obliged to leave the field. On the third of June, at Bethesda Church, a frag- ment of a shell exploding within a few feet in his front struck his right hand, necessi- tating the amputation of the index finger. This injury was followed by nearly fatal sickness.
While convalescing he was ordered to
He was selectman of the town of New- ton in 1870, 1871, 1872 and 1873. For many years has been justice of the peace and a notary public. Was representative of his regiment on the state commission to lo- cate the Massachusetts monument on the battle field at Antietam. Is one of the original members of Charles Ward Post, 62, G. A. R., and is a companion of the Massachusetts Commandery of the Mili- tary Order of the Loyal Legion.
He was for a long time a member of the duty at Gallops Island for mustering and First Church and parish clerk, but became
130
a member of the Church of the Redeemer at Chestnut Hill, and was one of its first wardens.
His musical tastes found expression in membership of church choirs, the Newton Musical Association, the Han- del and Haydn Society and the Cecilia Club. Of the two latter he was at one time on the board of directors.
He married Miss Laura D. Holmes of Bridgewater, Jan. 4, 1865, and they have two children, Mary M., the wife of Dr. Vladimir G. Simkhovitch of New York,
tions varied by piazzas, balconies, bays, tower, gables and windows variously de- signed and placed, the whole constituting an effective composition. It has a front- age of two hundred and fifty feet, with ar- tificial stone sidewalk and curbing nine and a half feet wide, facing a broad thor- oughfare, with a handsome lawn in front and on either side of the house, and com- mands an extensive view across country to Watertown and the hills of Cambridge.
The interior is spacious and of tasteful design. From the vestibule opens a great
RESIDENCE, JOHN Q. A. WHITTEMORE, WASHINGTON STREET.
and Isaac William, a senior in the College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.
JOHN Q. A. WHITTEMORE. The estate of John Q. A. Whittemore, of Whittemore Bros. & Co., merchants, Boston, occupies a commanding site on Hunnewell Hill, in the city of Newton, Mass.
The house is notable for the variety and quality of the wood used in its inside finish and the variety, quality and amount of hand carving in its interior and exterior embellishment. It is built of wood and brick, with granite foundation, the eleva-
oak hall, finely proportioned, broad and lofty, with pillars on the entrance side and pillars at either side of the stately wide oak stairway rising at the back. The ar- chitect of the house and also of the lodge and stable was J. Merrill Brown of Boston.
The grounds of the estate, which em- braces over one hundred thousand feet, are laid out in beautiful lawns and long terraces at the rear, fringed at the bottom of the hill by the roadside with a pleasant grove. At the side of the house is a large fountain with octagon basin, with vases at each of the eight corners filled with flowers of different colors.
131
CLARENCE SEWARD LUIT- WIELER, member of the school com- mittee from Ward 5, was born in Roches- ter, N. Y., June 16, 1861, the son of James C. and Bertha (Andrews) Luit- wieler.
He was educated in the public and high schools of York, Pa., and taught school in that place from 1877 to 1880. In 1880 Mr. Luitwieler came to Springfield, Mass., as bookkeeper for the Sewing Machine Supplies Company, which then had a capi- tal of but $7,000. Mr. Luitwieler was elected treasurer in 1883, and removed the business to Boston, increased the capi- tal to $50,000, and is now its general man- ager and treasurer. He is also treasurer of the Puritan Manufacturing Company, treasurer of the Union Welting Company, secretary of the One Hundred Associates Real Estate Trust of Boston, member of Dalhousie Lodge of Masons and Geth- semane Commandery. He served three years upon the Republican ward and city committee of Newton ; is a trustee of the Newton Centre Savings Bank, and was elected a member of the school committee in 1898.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.