USA > Massachusetts > Hampshire County > Northampton > Representative families of Northampton; a demonstration of what high character, good ancestry and heredity have accomplished in a New England town . > Part 13
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"Then John Draper made solemn oath to the truth of the above declaration by him subscribed, before Wm. Dudley, Justice of the Peace for said Province."
The Draper men were mostly pious, and they were physically vigorous to a marked degree. This anecdote is related of one of them in the old country by that person's granddaughter Mrs. Jemima (Draper) Turner. In her old age she often used to tell the story of how her grandfather met his death. She said that he lost his life from an injury
John L. Draper
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The Draper Family
sustained in wrestling on a May Day. This day was kept as a festival, after the English custom; a may-pole was set up, about which wrestling, quoits, and other games were played. On such a day there appeared a person claiming to be champion of the village and he challenged any one to enter the ring with him. A number accepted the challenge, but he threw them all down so easily that at last no other person was willing to compete with him. Then inquiries were made for James Draper, and it was remarked that he would be a good match for the champion. He arrived soon afterward, with his wife, Abigail, on horseback behind him. The crowd urged him to dismount and try a bout with the stranger. At first he declined, but the crowd almost pulled him from his saddle, in spite of Mistress Abigail, who held on to his coat as long as she could. However, when he met his antagonist in the ring, he made short work of laying the fellow on his back. The cry of "unfair" was set up, and he made ready to try again. At the word to begin the stranger was once again laid on his back by the stalwart Draper. But in doing this, the second time, he tore a sinew in his leg, and the injury proved to be permanent. He was carried to his house, and was never able to go out again.
James and Abigail are buried in the First Parish ceme- tery at Dedham, Massachusetts, and the following is in- scribed on the stone that marks their grave:
2 Sam. I, 23. They were lovely and pleasant in their lives & in their death they were not divided.
"The stroke of death hath laid my head Down in this dark & silent bed. The trump shall sound, I hope to rise To meet my Saviour in the skies."
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Representative Families of Northampton
JOHN L. DRAPER Merchant and Retired Gentleman
John Luther Draper was born in Amherst, Massachu- setts, April 17, 1838, and died in Northampton, May 19, 1911. He was the son of Lewis Laprelate Draper and Margaret Henry Draper. John's father was born March 25, 1801, and died in Northampton September 15, 1890. The grandfather was Lewis Draper, who was born May 3, 1767, and died November 2, 1843. This grandfather's wife, before marriage, was Lucy Orme. John L. Draper's father attended the Academy at New Salem, Massachusetts. In his manhood he was a merchant at South Deerfield, and later at Faribault, Minnesota. By means of economy, frugality, and industry he accumulated quite a respectable share of this world's goods. He was a prominent member of the Methodist Church in Northampton, and was respected for his strict integrity, honesty, and stability of character.
John L. Draper's family can trace their ancestry back to the year 1400, on the lines set forth in foregoing pages. One of Mr. Draper's American ancestors, John Draper, fought at Bunker Hill, and this patriot's descendants now treasure his old musket.
Mr. Draper came to Northampton from Amherst with his father, a brother, and two sisters in 1860. He completed his education in the common schools and then began to look about for an opening in business. After some uncer- tainty he made a decision, and opened a hat and gentlemen's furnishing store at the corner of Main and Pleasant streets, where the Blanc-Levin drug store now is. Later he was in the clothing business in company with Benjamin Ockington where Cohn's store stands. Thus far he proved true to the instincts of his English and American ancestral business
Residence of Mrs. John L. Draper on Bridge Street
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The Draper Family
training, as inclining to the haberdashery line of trade. But at length he engaged in the livery stable business, the stable being in the rear of what is now known as the Draper Hotel.
On the death of his father, Mr. Draper came into pos- session of a considerable amount of property, as did his brother Emerson Draper, who lived in Springfield, and his sister, Mrs. William D. Gray, of Northampton.
Mr. Draper married, January 11, 1872, Susan Hall, of Northampton, the daughter of Levi B. and Maria Hall. His sister Emeline married a Mr. Ingraham, of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, but died some time ago, and his nearest surviv- ing relative, besides his wife, is Mrs. Gray.
Mr. Draper lived a retired life for twenty years before he died. The care of his property occupied a large part of his time, but he and his wife spent part of their winters in Florida, California, and Europe. When he bought the old Fitch Block (which contained the principal hotel at the center of Northampton) he spent much time and a large amount of money fitting it up in what he believed to be suitable style for a city of the reputation which Northampton claimed. This hotel, which at the time was called the Man- sion House, had become considerably run down. It stood on the site of the old-time and famous Warner coffee-house, and Mr. Draper therefore prided himself on restoring, in good measure, the reputation which the place formerly had as a public tavern. He not only succeeded in making over the old hotel into a modern one, but he placed it in the hands of good landlords, the Messrs. Bowker, who gave it the name it bears today and managed it for several years to general public acceptation.
In politics Mr. Draper was a life-long Republican. He was an attendant at the First Church. Those who knew him best say that he was a man of great strength of char-
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acter, kindly and helpful without ostentation, and that more than once, in a quiet way, he gave such good advice to young men, as to business and moral conduct, that they were greatly benefited by it, and were aided to careers of usefulness to themselves and others, where otherwise they were in danger of going wrong. A few years ago Mr. Draper built for himself and his wife the beautiful and commodious residence which stands at the corner of Bridge Street and Pomeroy Terrace. The good taste of Mr. and Mrs. Draper is shown here in the furnishings of the residence, which comprise collections of many rare and unique curios and works of art gathered by them in their travels.
Edwin W. Higbee
Coat of Arms in Higbee Family (Stearns family branch)
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EDWIN W. HIGBEE A Well-Known Northampton Physician
E DWIN W. HIGBEE was a physician in Northampton for nearly a half century, and his passing from the scene of his earthly labors calls for more than the usual perfunctory newspaper notice.
The Family in Vermont
Edwin Wilbur Higbee was born in Charlotte, Vermont, February 13, 1849, and died in Northampton, May 21, 1916. His father was Peter VanVliet Higbee, born at Ferrisburg, Vermont, April 11, 1811, and died June 11, 1888, at Cas- sopolis, Michigan. His mother, before marriage, was Miranda Harding. She was born in Sherburne, Vermont, August 29, 1814. His grandfathers were Caleb Harding, who was born March 27, 1778, and who died in 1856, and Peter Higbee, born in 1756. His grandmothers, before marriage, were Judith Stearns (from whose family comes the coat of arms), born October 6, 1791, and Olive Van Vliet.
Dr. Higbee's ancestry was in part of English Quaker origin, and in part was derived from Holland. The closeness of the latter origin to his own generation can be judged from the fact that his grandmother, whose maiden name was Van Vliet, never learned English. The reproduction, which
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accompanies this chapter, of a page of the Bible, in her own language, will be of interest to many. (The marginal conno- tations, in fine text, can be easily read with a good micro- scope.) Dr. Higbee had the leaf from which this reproduc- tion was made framed, and it hung in his office for many years.
The numerous office patients from the surrounding towns who came to Dr. Higbee along the years became his warm friends, for he took a personal interest in all whom he could in any way aid.
Dr. Higbee's father, Honorable Peter VanVliet Higbee, was a man of more than ordinary note in the town of Char- lotte, Vermont, where he passed most of his life. By habits of industry and economy he accumulated a competence. Some idea of the esteem in which he was held may be gath- ered from the fact that he held every office in his township, and was for many years appointed administrator to settle the estates of his deceased neighbors and friends. He was elected a member of the Vermont Legislature for 1861, and served in the House at the same time with Judge Edmunds who was later the well-known United States Senator from Vermont.
The Honorable Peter VanVliet Higbee had two sons, William Wallace, and Edwin W. The latter, after his com- mon school education, began the study of medicine, and Wallace stepped into his father's place and did for the people of Charlotte and vicinity what his father had done before him. That the son did correspondingly well is evidenced by the records of that time, and by the fact that he was as well beloved as his father. He was sent to the State Legislature as town representative in 1886, and as senator in 1888. He filled the office of town clerk for thirty-eight years. Wallace Higbee was also noted for his appreciation of the historic and scenic advantages of his native region, and he often wrote
Dr. Edwin W. Higbee
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Edwin W. Higbee
of these interestingly for the newspapers, and of various other matters that otherwise would probably have passed beyond printed preservation.
Any consideration of this family should include some mention of two uncles of the late Dr. E. W. Higbee. These were Dr. Edwin B. Harding, of Northampton, and Dr. Wilbur F. Harding. It is an interesting circumstance that these three physicians, educated in the allopathic school of medi- cine, decided, finally, all of them, to adopt the homœopathic method of medical practice.
Dr. Edwin B. Harding was a prominent physician in Northampton, in his chosen work, for many years-from 1863 to 1877-and obtained high rank as a skillful and suc- cessful practitioner. He was a close student, and he was an inventor of several instruments valuable in surgical practice. He was an extensive reader, and was so thoroughly devoted to his profession that he did not take the rest that he needed. His early death was much mourned by his patients and friends in the town of Northampton.
Dr. Wilbur F. Harding, his brother, was another very successful physician, who began practice in a New York State village, continued his labors for ten years in Green- field, Massachusetts, and the rest of his life in Westfield.
The Doctor Himself
With such ancestry as Edwin Wilbur Higbee had, it is not surprising that he proved a valuable citizen. The day of great dosing and drugging by physicians was rapidly pass- ing when the Doctors Harding came into practice. Even the allopathic school had begun to use less medicine, and to advise dieting and exercise to their patients as measures of most curative value. The homœopathist then favored trying the smallest of doses on the principle of "Like cures like."
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Thus Similia similibus curantur became the popular medical theme in many a household.
Dr. Higbee was one who accepted the new school theo- ries enthusiastically. After graduating at the University of Vermont, in the class of 1871, he began the practice of medi- cine in Westfield, and continued it in Springfield. The death of his beloved uncle, Dr. Edwin B. Harding, April 10, 1877, brought him to Northampton, where he proved in a short time a most worthy successor to that uncle. As a specialist in his profession he acquired a large practice. He was aided in this specialization by study abroad, especially in France, where he acquired much valuable knowledge from medical authorities there who were glad to impart to him the details of such medical formulas and practice as they had tested and proved useful. While on his tour abroad in 1881, he wrote a series of very interesting letters to the Hampshire County Journal, a paper printed in Northampton, and when he returned he found a rapidly increasing practice.
In assimilating and utilizing the results of French and German research, at a time when new discoveries were revo- lutionizing medical and surgical practice, Dr. Higbee was one of the first to recognize their value. He was a natural lin- guist, and was not only at home with the French and German language, but had what he liked to call a "bowing acquaint- ance" with several other modern languages; so he was inde- pendent of translations and able to keep up with foreign publications. He accepted the germ theory while it was derided by others. He installed electric and galvanic instru- ments in his office long before these means were used com- monly even in the large cities.
His was a versatile nature, in the line of study, in several directions-particularly in the line of mechanics. He not only constructed and patented several valuable surgical in-
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A Page from the Bible of Dr. Higbee's Grandmother Van Vliet
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Edwin W. Higbee
struments, but he "took a hand" at practical household matters, such as house heating.
In the line of surgical work should be mentioned two instances of his earlier inventions, the "Modified Hodge Pessary" and the "Higbee Speculum."
The writer remembers well the interest inspired in him by the doctor's successful experiments in the economical heating of houses and offices by his indirect system.
While engrossed in the duties of his profession and at- tending also to the impulses of an inventive mind, he found some time to give to social affairs. He was a Republican, but had no taste for politics, though he was always ready to help with his pen and means toward any betterment of society. He was a member of Jerusalem Lodge of Free Masons and was made a life member of that order in May, 1914. In 1875 he became a member of the First Congrega- tional Church.
On May 11, 1886, Dr. Higbee married Miss Netta E. Wetherbee, daughter of Andrew Wetherbee, of Waltham, Massachusetts, and they had one child, a son, Earl Van Vliet Higbee. The son, after graduating from the Northampton High School, completed his indoor education at the Yale Sheffield Scientific School, where he graduated in 1915, and he is now holding a responsible position as metallurgist in a large manufacturing concern at Bridgeport, Connecticut.
What remains to be said is best expressed by a woman who was a personal friend of Dr. Higbee, and who was also one of those who had come under his care, and had been lifted from disease to health by his treatment. He was always known as the perfect gentleman and "good physi- cian" to all who had his care, but this patient recalls a cir- cumstance which is more than usually interesting in this connection. She says:
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Representative Families of Northampton
"Some are left who recall the young physician speeding over the roads in his gig. But not many ever knew that his change from a general practitioner to an office specialist was made imperative by a serious strain received in lifting a bed-ridden patient into a baggage car. From that time the jar of riding about became intolerable. Several weeks at the baths in Vichy, France, brought some measure of relief, but general practice could never be resumed. . To those who watched the end, remembering his eager spirit and his ideal of service, no legacy nor example could perhaps be greater."
Others of his patients have testified most feelingly to Dr. Higbee's qualities as a physician-friend-uniformly to the effect that he was always the perfect gentleman and one who was interested in his patients not from mere professional curiosity, but with that kindly, more brotherly interest which gave him a real fellow-feeling for their daily struggles and perplexities.
The city of Northampton has known many fine physi- cians and surgeons in its history, but none more deservedly valued and appreciated generally, and to be honored in memory, than Dr. Edwin Wilbur Higbee.
CLARENCE D. CHASE City Clerk of Northampton, Massachusetts
C LARENCE D. CHASE was elected to the office of City Clerk, at the annual municipal election held in 1906, and took office January 7, 1907. He is, therefore, completing his tenth year of service as a public official in the city hall, at the present time of writing.
Mr. Chase is a native of Burtonville, New York, where he was born, September 21, 1872. Burtonville was named after his mother's ancestors, the Burtons. Her mother was one of that distinguished family.
The subject of this sketch was the only son of DeWitt Clinton Chase and Jane L. Dakin. After graduating from the public schools, and receiving some business training, he came to Northampton in the year 1890. He was employed in the office of the New York, New Haven, and Hartford Railroad, where he achieved much success, and was promoted to be chief clerk and cashier, and later freight agent and man- ager of the company's business in Northampton. At length he was called to the service of the city, as before noted, after previously serving as councilman from the Third Ward in 1899 and 1900, and alderman from the same ward in 1901
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and 1902. He received the endorsement of both the leading parties for several years for the office of city clerk, and when his candidacy was contested, he led his opponents by a very large majority.
On August 12, 1905, Mr. Chase married Miss Eugenia A. Orrell, daughter of William Orrell, of Holyoke. They have one son, Robert Gaston Chase, born October 26, 1916.
Mr. Chase is affiliated with several societies and frater- nities-the different branches of the Masonic order, including the Knights Templars and Mystic Shrine, the Knights of Pythias, the Elks, the Northampton Country Club, the Board of Trade, and the Edwards Church Men's Club.
Clarence D. Chase
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HARRY E. BICKNELL
A Well-Known Local Representative of The Democratic Party
T HE BICKNELL FAMILY has an ancient and credit- able record in the archives of American and English genealogy, but lack of space prevents extended reference to the matter in these pages. It seems sufficient to say that the subject of this sketch, Harry Emerson Bicknell, can trace his English ancestry back about five hundred years, and in this country to John Bicknell of Hingham, Massachu- setts, about 1740. He was born in Windsor, Berkshire County, December 28, 1870, the son of Luke Emerson Bick- nell and Lucretia Tower Pierce Bicknell. When he was a few months old the family removed to West Cummington, where his father engaged in business as a merchant. Young Bicknell made his home with the family until the fall of 1897, when he went to Winsted, Connecticut, to engage in business. He was for three years in the book, news, and stationery business in Winsted, and, March 1, 1890, moved to Northampton, where he became proprietor of the furnishing goods department of the Greene shoe store in the Columbian building on Main Street. About 1903 he became proprietor of the whole establishment, which had, under the manage- ment of several previous owners in the same line of business, not proved over prosperous. Mr. Bicknell, however, when he took charge of the business, devoted himself to it with such care and ability that he created one of the most successful stores on Main Street.
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Mr. Bicknell developed qualities of business conservatism in buying and selling at a rather early age, and made his success in trade by exercising careful judgment on the times and places to move goods. It is a fact that he rather sur- prised those who looked for continued failure in situations where others had failed. He distinguished himself as a boy in his father's store in Cummington, where for many years the father attended to the wants of the general public in the country variety store traffic of that time. The father was noted for his honesty and independence. He made a most honorable record in the Civil War, as second Lieutenant with the Andrews Sharpshooters, Massachusetts Infantry.
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