Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts, Part 95

Author: Borden, Alanson, 1823-1900; Boston History Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: [Boston] Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 1399

USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts > Part 95

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France, Samuel.C., son of John and Martha A. (Carter) France, was born in New- port, R. I., June 4, 1859. His father came from Ashton, near Manchester, England,

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

when a young man, and for a number of years was engaged in the hotel business in Newport, where he became a well known and respected citizen. Mr. France was educated in the public schools of Newport and New Bedford. After leaving school he began an apprenticeship to the upholstering trade under J. L. & G. A. Hazard of Newport, with whom he remained three years. He then removed to New Bedford and engaged in a market business with Holland & Smith on Market square; later he began work as a clerk for the Industrial Co operative Association, of which he was eventually made manager; still later he engaged in a grocery business with John W. Bannister, under the firm name of France & Bannister. This copartnership con- tinued for about six years and at the end of that period he began work for Allen, Slade & Co. of Fall River. as their representative in New Bedford and vicinity, and his term of service with the firm now covers a period of over fourteen years. Mr. France was long a member of the New Bedford Fire Department, his first connec- tion with the department dating back to 1883, when he joined Onward No. 1 as reel driver; next he joined Hose No. 2 and became captain when this company went into commission. When No. 7 Engine Company was organized he was transferred to that company as captain ; in January, 1893, he was elected third assistant engineer of the department and served until 1896, when he resigned, after having completed a service of fifteen years. Mr. France is a member of Annawan Encampment and Vesta Lodge of Odd Fellows, and Provision Clerks' Benefit Association. February 3, 1887, he married Carrie A. Hersey, daughter of William S. Hersey of New Bedford, and they have two daughters: Ethel B. and Martha S.

Francis, Thomas, son of Pardon and Dianna (Wordell) Francis, was born in the town of Tiverton, R. I. (now Fall River, Mass.), March 30, 1850. He obtained his education in the public schools and at the age of eight years obtained a position in the old Chase Thread Mill, where he remained four years, then began farming and has devoted his entire life since to his chosen vocation, with the exception of about four years that he was employed by the government in the timber business in Flori- da. August 31, 1879, Mr. Francis married Elizabeth A., daughter of Mary P. Cum- mings of Assonet, Freetown, Mass., and Jacob T. Peckham of Westport, Mass.

Fraser, Alexander McKay, machinist and member of the firm of Fyans, Fraser & Blackway, of Fall River, was born in Nova Scotia, March 4, 1863. His father, James Fraser, was born in the city of Inverness, Scotland, and his mother, Isabella (Murray) Fraser, in the same country. Early in life they moved to Salt Springs, Nova Scotia, where they resided for a time, and in 1872, when Alexander M. Fraser was nine years old, they came to Fall River. He had attended the schools in his native country but completed his education in the public schools of Fall River. After leaving school he was employed in various mills and stores and finally determined to become a practical machinist. In 1882 he went to Providence, R. I., and for three years served as apprentice in the Rhode Island Locomotive Works. He then re- turned to Fall River, and for five and one-half years was in the employ of the Fall River Bobbin and Shuttle Works. Later he followed his trade in machine shops at New Bedford, Taunton and Lynn. In 1893 he formed a copartnership with Messrs. Fyans and Blackway, under the firm name of Fyans, Fraser & Blackway, and estab- lished works in Fall River. They are engaged in repairing all kinds of machinery, engines, etc., and in mill work; and also build special machinery. They have pros-

PERSONAL REFERENCES.

pered in business, and through energy and enterprise are constantly increasing their trade and extending their popularity. March 10, 1897, Mr. Fraser married Ann Allen, daughter of Charles E. C. Spencer of Fall River. He is a member of Narra- gansett Lodge, F. & A. M., Chapter, Council and Commandery; also the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

French, Edward Milton, was born in Garrettsville, Ohio, June 15, 1862, a son of Milton R. and Emeline (Hewins) French. He received his early education in the public schools and at the close of his school days began the study of music with his father. In 1881 he came to Taunton and commenced teaching, at the same time continuing his studies with B. J. Lang of Boston, and continued with him for a num- ber of years. Mr. French is organist at the Winthrop Street Baptist Church, which position he has held, with the exception of about one year, ever since he came to Taunton. He is one of the most successful teachers of the city. July 27, 1887, he married Lucy A .. daughter of Nathaniel and Harriet (Weeks) Hamlen of Taunton, and they have one son, Arthur Milton French, born April 20, 1889.

Frothingham, Rev. Paul Revere, pastor of the First Congregational Church of New Bedford for the past nine years, was born in Boston, July, 1864, a son of Thomas B. and Anne (Lunt) Frothingham. The family has been prominent in the vicinity of Boston ever since 1630, at which time the first representatives of it settled near Charlestown. Rev. Frothingham was prepared for college in the public schools of Boston, and entering Harvard, took the degree A. B. in 1886, when he began the study of theology in the Harvard Divinity School and was graduated with the de- grees S. T. B. and M. A. in 1889. In October of the same year he was called to the First Congregational Church of New Bedford and has ever since served that society, his pastorate having been marked by vigorous enterprise, noteworthy examples of which are the new chapel, adjoining the church, and the mission in the North End, called the Unity House. He was married, in 1892, to Anna, daughter of Lyman Clapp, of Pittsfield, Mass.

Fuller, William Eddy, jr., attorney at law, was born in Taunton, Mass., August 14, 1870, a son of William Eddy and Anna M. (Corey) Fuller; his father is a judge of the Probate Court of Bristol county. He is a lineal descendant of Samuel Fuller, the first physician of the Plymouth Colony, and one of its leading members. Be- sides practicing his profession he was also a religious teacher among the early set- tlers of New England. On one occasion he was called to the Massachusetts Bay colony, where it is recorded he was the first to teach the Congregational faith, and the form of worship of the Pilgrim Fathers. William Eddy Fuller. jr., was prepared for college in the public schools of Taunton and in the Bristol Academy; he then entered Harvard College and was graduated in 1892, receiving the degree of A. B. He then entered the Harvard Law School, receiving the degree of LL. B. in 1895. In the same year he was admitted to the Bristol county bar and the following autumn came to Fall River, where he has since been engaged in successful practice. He is now associated with Arthur S. Phillips, under the firm name of Phillips & Fuller. September 22, 1897, Mr. Fuller married May Queen Newcomb, a daughter of C. A. Newcomb, of Detroit, Michigan.

Galligan, Charles Augustine, is the son of John H. and Katharine (Campion) Gal-

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

ligan, natives of Ireland, and was born in New Bedford, Mass , June 29, 1867. His father came from County Cavan, Ireland, and first settled in Wareham, Mass., whence he removed to New Bedford, where he died in 1883. Mr. Galligan attended the public schools of his native city and when thirteen entered the harness shop of the Wamsutta Mills, where he remained three years, after which he spent three years in the Pairpoint Manufacturing Works, learning the silver plater's trade. Later he engaged in the tea and coffee business for a short time. In 1890 he en- gaged in the second-hand furniture trade at 809 Purchase street, and in the spring of 1893 he established his present furniture and house furnishing store at 43 and 45 Weld street. Mr. Galligan has been a member of No. 7 Engine Co. since its organ- ization, and is also a member of the Board of Trade, the Plymouth Club and the Knights of Columbus. In October, 1892, he married Mary C., daughter of John Corish of New Bedford, and they have two sons, Edward C. and Leo.

Gardiner, Charles Berry, was born in Somerset, June 19, 1849, a son of William Gifford and Rebecca (Hood) Gardiner. He was educated in the public schools, Lap- ham's Institute of North Scituate, R. I., and Schofield's Commercial School at Provi- dence, R. I. At the close of his school days he entered the Mt. Hope Iron Works to learn the machinist's trade and stayed there about three years, and was then em- ployed at various places until 1875, when he moved to Florence, Mass., where he was employed by the Florence Tack Co. as selling agent until 1878, when he came to Raynham as manager of the Leeds & Robinson Co. In 1890 their business was merged into a corporation called the Diamond Tack & Nail Co., with Mr. Gardiner as treasurer. In 1891 their plant was partially destroyed by fire and Mr. Gardiner bought out Messrs. Leeds and Robinson and continued the business alone until 1892, when he admitted Mr. David F. Ranney as a partner and they have continued together up to the present time. Mr. Gardiner was a member of the Legislature in 1879 and is also a member of Ionic Lodge, F. & A. M. He has been twice married; first, De- cember 24, 1871, to Mary W. Babcock of Westerly, R. I., who died in 1883, and sec- ond, on June 15, 1887, to Katherine E. Ranney of North Hampton, and they have two children: Dorothy M. and Katherine.

Gibbs, Lot Haskell, ship broker, is descended from one of the oldest seafaring families in southeastern Massachusetts. His ancestors settled in Sandwich about 1630, his great-grandfather, John Gibbs, and grandfather, Caleb Gibbs, being resi- dents of that town. George C. Gibbs, father of Lot H., was a sailor in the mer- chant and coasting service, as was also his father, Caleb. Of his six sons, five be- came master mariners. He died on board his vessel May 22, 1849. He married Mary Cotton Haskell. a lineal descendant of Rev. John Cotton, and had seven chil- dren, viz .: George C., jr., of New Bedford, who was long engaged in the merchant service, later ran a steam transport for the government, and for about thirty years a steamboat captain on the Sound; John Cotton Gibbs, a master mariner in the mer- chant service and after the war engaged in steamboating until his death about 1887; Charles Haskell Gibbs, a carpenter and musician, deceased; Lot H., the subject of this sketch; Joseph B., a merchant captain who was lost at sea in 1857; Mary Lucretia, who married Charles T. Bonney, of New Bedford; and Joshua E., a mas- ter mariner of merchant vessels and later a steamboat captain, who died in Septem- ber, 1896. Lot Haskell Gibbs was born in Rochester, Mass., February 17, 1830, and

PERSONAL REFERENCES.

came with the family to New Bedford in 1846. He received a public school educa- tion, and began life as a sailor under his father in 1842. In 1851 he became a master mariner, in which capacity he continued in the merchant and coasting service until 1872. In 1873 he engaged in the ship chandlery and grocery trade, which he carried on until about 1881, when he established his present ship brokerage and lumber busi- ness. Captain Gibbs is one of the oldest mariners in New Bedford, and is a member of Star in the East Lodge, F. & A. M. In December, 1867, he married Jane W., daughter of Theodore W. Leonard of Rochester, Mass., and they have two children : Elizabeth Leonard and George C.

Gibbs, Samuel W., physician and surgeon, was born in Fall River in 1854, a son of George W. and Susan Belle (Whelpley) Gibbs. His first American ancestor, Rob- ert Gibbs, came to Massachusetts early in 1600, and soon thereafter settled at the present site of Egypt, in Bristol county, where he purchased land extending half a mile along the Taunton River, and several miles back from the stream. The orig- inal homestead is now but fifty acres and is still owned by a descendant of the first settler. The maternal grandfather of Dr. Gibbs was Rev. Samuel Whelpley, D.D., of New Jersey, the author of various standard historical works. The parents of Dr. Gibbs came to Fall River when the town contained less than 4, 000 inhabitants. His father was a carpenter by trade and before his marriage went to Mobile, Ala- bama, where he spent five years following his occupation. He then returned to Fall River and for thirty-five years was a successful merchant. Dr. Gibbs obtained his preparatory education in the schools of Fall River and then engaged in the drug business for eighteen years. During this period he studied medicine three years under Dr. E. Merrissal and surgery two years under Dr. Charles E. Terry of Fall River. In 1887 he entered the medical department of the University of Vermont, where he remained until 1889, completing the course in microscopical pathology. He spent the following year in the medical department of Dartmouth College and re- ceived the degree of Doctor of Medicine from that institution in 1890. Since then he has pursued his profession in Fall River. He devotes special attention to the treat- ment of the diseases of the lungs and throat. He is a member of Fall River Lodge of Odd Fellows, Metacomet Encampment, Knights of Honor, Royal Arcanum, Loyal Knights and Ladies of Honor, New England Order of Protection, Golden Cross Encampment, and the Ancient Order of United Workmen. In 1877 Dr. Gibbs married Susan Westgate Crapo of Fall River.

Gifford, Charles H., a prominent and well-known citizen of New Bedford, having been its postmaster and at present is a member of the State Board of Gas and Elec- tric Light Commission, was a son of that enterprising whaling merchant, William Gifford, and of Rhoda (Tucker) Gifford, a member of one of the oldest families that settled in southern Massachusetts. The Gifford family likewise enjoys the same dis- tinction as to early settlement in the same part of the State, Mr. Gifford being a di- rect descendant and the seventh of the line of William Gifford, who came to this country previous to 1650, for it is recorded that he was a member of the Grand In- quest at Plymouth in that year; he then lived at Sandwich; in religious belief was a Quaker and as such suffered much persecution. Mr. Gifford's father, who died in New Bedford on March 24, 1866, in the sixty-eighth ycar of his age, was born in Dartmouth, a birthright member of the Society of Friends, a quict, unobtrusive,

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

benevolent citizen who attached many friends. He was for some seven years en- gaged in mercantile business at Savannah, Georgia, and then located in New Bed- ford and became extensively engaged in the whaling business in which he continued to the time of his death, William Gifford is still held in remembrance as the typifi- cation of the upright, rugged and withal kindly merchant so common in that period. Charles H. Gifford was born in New Bedford, July 18, 1833. During his boyhood he attended private schools and the Friends Academy in New Bedford and later Haver- ford College, an institution of the Friends, at Philadelphia, Pa. After the comple- tion of his education he entered his father's office and there gained a knowledge of business methods. Not long after his majority he was admitted to partnership and continued the business for some years after his father's death. Mr. Gifford has always been an ardent Republican, having cast a vote for every Republican president from John C. Fremont to William Mckinley. He has represented the Sixth ward of his city several terms in the city government; was a member of the first city com- mittee on the introduction of pure water, also at one time on the board of trustees of the Free Public Library. He was appointed postmaster of New Bedford by Pres- ident Harrison, which office he held about five years; he gave the city an excellent office service, instituting many needed reforms and placed the office on the plan of a well ordered first-class post-office. In 1894 Mr. Gifford was appointed by Governor Greenhalge a member of the State Board of Gas and Electric Light Commission and is still serving in that capacity. His experience as a business man, and director of the New Bedford Gas and Electric Light Company had made him well adapted to serve intelligently as a member of this board. Like his father, Mr. Gifford is pos- sessed of those pleasing qualities which gain friends. He has been connected with many business enterprises in the city, and is one of the oldest (in appointment) trus- tees of the New Bedford Institution for Savings, and has been twice nominated for the office of mayor of New Bedford. Mr. Gifford married, in 1858, Elizabeth P. Cummings, daughter of John Cummings of Dartmouth, and two children have been born to them: Frank H. Gifford, treasurer of the New Bedford Spinning Company, and Helen C. Gifford.

Gifford, John B., son of William and Abigal (Bennett) Gifford, was born in Dart- mouth, Mass., May 6, 1834. He obtained such an education as was afforded by the common schools in those days, working on his father's farm nine months of the year and attending school three months. At the age of fifteen he began to learn the sail- maker's trade, working under Chapman & Bonney of New Bedford. This was in the days when the large whaling fleets fitted at that harbor. He worked for Chap- man & Bonney for five years and then was employed for two years in New York, seven in Boston and about thirteen years in Fall River as a journeyman sailmaker. Mr. Gifford has been in this business all his life and has hundreds of friends

among the skippers. He now conducts a ship chandlery and sail loft in the old stone building at the. foot of Center street on the Providence wharf. This build- ing is one of the oldest in Fall River; it was built in 1835 to store the American Print Company's goods, with a top story especially designed for a sail loft. Jonathan Peckham was the first occupant of the sail loft. He was followed by William Nooning, then by Nooning & Zuill and then by Mr. Zuill alone. Mr. Gif- ford was employed by the latter as foreman for eleven years, and in March, 1895,

PERSONAL REFERENCES.

acquired the business. He occupies the entire building and gives employment to several men. He is a member of Fall River Lodge No. 219, and Fall River Encamp- ment No. 26, I.O.O.F. ; he is also a prominent Mason, being a member of Fall River Royal Arch Chapter and Council, and Godfrey de Bouillon Commandery. Mr. Gif- ford was married March 22, 1856, to Alice J., daughter of Warren and Celia B. Tripp, and they have four children: Mary H , wife of Edgar Wood, William W., Alice A., and Hattie E.

Gifford, John James, a native and lifelong resident of the town of Dartmouth, was born December 13, 1839, a son of Jeptha W. and Mary A. (Allen) Gifford. Dur- ing his boyhood Mr. Gifford worked on his father's farm and received the educational advantages offered by the public schools of his native town. He then learned the carpenter's trade, which he has since continued; he is also engaged in manufacturing and repairing carriages at his carriage shop in Russell's Mills. Mr. Gifford is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity and enjoys the confidence of a wide circle of friends. In 1863 he married Jane B., daughter of Stephen and Hannah (Sole) Wood of Dart- mouth. For his second wife he married Eliza J. Devol of Dartmouth. The Gifford family, which is elsewhere mentioned in this work, is one of the oldest in the county. Mr. Gifford's father was a native of the town of Westport.

Gifford, William Leander, son of Leander and Harriet E. (Sanford) Gifford, was born in Taunton, November 26, 1855. He received his early education in the pub- lic schools of Taunton, and after leaving school engaged with the Boston Branch Grocery Co. for about one year, when he went with the Davenport & Mason express business as messenger. Preferring the grocery business to the express, he soon re- turned to the old firm and stayed with them a number of years. In 1883 he started in business for himself on High street, in the same location as he occupies to-day, and the firm as Gifford & Trafton continued for nine years, when Mr. Gifford bought out his partner and carried on the business alone. During this time Mr. Gifford started and operated the Taunton Wire Nail Co., which he continued for seven years, and then closed out his interest in it to devote his whole time to the grocery line. Mr. Gifford is a member of Chas. H. Titus Lodge, F. & A. M., and King Philip Lodge of I. O. O. F. September 20, 1881, he married Mary L., daughter of Joseph E. and Mary Frances (Graham) Cobb (now deceased), and they had four children: Lola B., Lena C., Joseph L. and Gladys.

Gilbert, John, physician and surgeon, was born in Newton, Cheshire, England, January 3, 1847, and came with his parents to Fall River in 1859. He obtained his rudimentary education in England and for a short time attended the Fall River schools, but in the main is self-educated. For several years he worked in the cotton mills and in a grocery store, spending all of his leisure time in diligent study, de- voting much time to theology and preparing himself for the ministry in the Re- organized Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, which upholds the doc- trine of the church as organized in 1830 by Joseph Smith and others, and which is in contradistinction to the Mormon church of Utah, its members looking with horror on the teachings of the Utah Church. When but nineteen years of age he was ordained to the ministry of this church and continued to preach, lecture, and organize churches until he began the study of medicine. He still continues his ministerial work although not actively. Dr. Gilbert officiated as clergyman of this church in

OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE.

Fall River for four years. At this time he also studied land surveying under Jesse W. Nichols. He first took up the study of medicine under Dr. John H. Jackson with whom he studied for some time. Later he spent two years at the College of Physi- cians and Surgeons in Boston, and one year in the medical department of the University of Vermont where he received his medical degree in 1886. In the same year he began practice at his present location on Pleasant street, Fall River, and has met with most encouraging success. He is a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society, and the American Medical Association; past chancellor of Mt. Vernon Lodge No. 57, Knights of Pythias, and a prominent member of the Sons of St. George, in which order he now holds the office of major in the Uniformed Rank. When a young man of seventeen he served one hundred days in the fall of 1864 in the 21st Unattached Company, M. V. M., and was prevented from re-enlistment by disability incurred in the field. He is a member of Richard Borden Post No. 46, G. A. R., in which he has held the office of chaplain, surgeon and junior vice-commander. Since 1894 Dr. Gilbert has held the chair of the Theory and Practice of Medicine in the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Boston, attending to his duties as a lec- turer in connection with his professional work in Fall River. He was one of the city physicians of Fall River for three years. January 2, 1870, he married Elizabeth, daughter of John McKee of Fall River. Four children have been born to them, two of whom survive: Susan Elizabeth and Milton John.

Gillingham, Hon. James L., special justice of the Third District Court of Bristol county, was born in Chelsea, Mass., July 12, 1857, a son of James and Anna E. (Love) Gillingham. The family is of Scottish origin and has been well represented in America for several generations. When he was an infant the family removed to Charlestown, and after the death of his mother in January, 1859, moved to Fair- haven, where he attended the public schools and was graduated from the High School in 1876. In that same year Mr. Gillingham entered the office of Richmond & Cook, general agents of the Equitable Life Insurance Society, and two years later began to thoroughly equip himself for the law, reading in the office of Hon. Thomas M. Stetson and Francis B. Greene. He was admitted to the Bristol bar April 20, 1880, and has since practiced in New Bedford. He was admitted as an attorney in the United States Circuit Court at Boston, on June 14, 1882. A practitioner in New Bedford, Mr. Gillingham resides in Fairhaven, the home of his boyhood. He has always taken an active interest in the welfare of the town; is a member of the Fair- haven Improvement Association, a trustee of the Fairhaven Institution for Savings, the Riverside Cemetery, and the Millicent Library. In politics he is a Republican and has served on the town committee for a number of years, acting as chairman part of the time. He has been a member of the Board of Selectmen and the School Committee; has twice represented the Fourth District in the General Court and served on the committee on judiciary. Among the several appointive offices he has held were those of public administrator and of commissioner to qualify civil officers. On September 16, 1897, Governor Wolcott appointed him a special justice of the Third District Court of Bristol county. Mr. Gillingham has been a prominent Mason, past master of Concordia Lodge of Fairhaven and district deputy grand master of this district; he is also a member of Acushnet Lodge of Odd Fellows. He married in November, 1885, Elizabeth Byram Pratt of Fairhaven, and their children are Annie, Dana, James and Margaret.

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Our country and its people; a descriptive and biographical record of Bristol County, Massachusetts, Part 95

Author: Borden, Alanson, 1823-1900; Boston History Company, Boston, pub Publication date: 1899 Publisher: [Boston] Boston History Company Number of Pages: 1399

Author: Borden, Alanson, 1823-1900; Boston History Company, Boston, pub
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: [Boston] Boston History Company
Number of Pages: 1399