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 15
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Mr. Atkins was a Republican in politics, naturally, for he came into a community strongly imbued with a love of human liberty, and the homes of more than one of its mem- bers were stations on the "underground railroad" for the distressed slaves of the South, but he never had the time nor inclination to seek public office. He was a charter member of the Free Congregational Society of Cosmian Hall, was one of its most liberal supporters, and always took an active interest in the movement. He was also a member of Jerusa- lem Lodge of Free Masons for thirty-five years.
While Mr. Atkins might properly be called a gentleman of the old school, he was yet a man who progressed with the times and kept himself well informed of the development of events. He had a sunny, cordial nature which won him many friends, and there were few in the Florence community who did not know him. The older residents were all on familiar
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terms from personal contact with his jolly, sincere, and sym- pathetic personality, and he was widely beloved and honored. He was a man of originality and independence, both in thought and action, but of such a kindly nature that he easily adjusted himself to his associates and environment, with the result that he made many friends and few enemies. He was a man of good works, but his beneficence was quietly given, often without the knowledge of his family. In the evening of his life it was a pleasure to see him and his good wife on their frequent carriage rides, frequently stopping the horse, as they did, to chat a few minutes with friends and neighbors. To him may well be applied these words from the poets:
"The best portion of a good man's life - His little unremembered acts Of kindness and of love."
"When the good man yields his breath, (For the good man never dies)"
The Parsons Family of Florence
CEDO .
HADD UNOHAN
The Parsons Coat of Arms
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THE PARSONS FAMILY OF FLORENCE
A Worthy Branch of one of the Pioneer Families of New England
HE Parsons family of Florence has an origin, in common with the other Parsons families of New England, from Cornet Joseph Parsons, who was English born, although history has not yet brought to light his birthplace, nor when he came to America. There is only circumstantial evidence pointing to the probability that he came from Devon or Essex County, and that he sailed in the Transport, from Gravesend, England, July 4, 1635. Other details relating to the origin of this family will be found in the chapter in this volume relating to the Sydenham C. Parsons family.
Horace K. Parsons, who came to Florence from Con- necticut, was the head of an important branch of this family. His biography has been published in other books. The son, to whom he left his inheritance, and who made a mark for himself on the present generation, was
CHARLES O. PARSONS
He succeeded to his father's business interests and public- spirit in everything relating to the village, and, in the per-
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formance of the work that fell to him, it was as if he stood in his father's shoes.
Charles Otis Parsons was born in Thompsonville, Con- necticut, but came to Florence in January, 1866, at the age of one year. He received a good common school education, and graduated from the town high school. Within a few months afterward he entered the Eastman Business College at Poughkeepsie, New York, and graduated at the head of his class, though he was the youngest of the graduates that year.
He made a European trip at the age of twenty-one, and while in England saw the popular demonstrations at the time of the Queen's Jubilee. On this trip he spent two months in Germany.
He was thus fitted by education, and, better still, by nature, to succeed to the work of his father, and, after the latter's death, he took the reins as one to the "manor born." It is not too much to say that he was the young "squire" of the village. He was not only the manager of a good store business, but he was called on to settle real estate, draft wills, and do the work of a notary public and "mutual friend" for some of his fellow citizens in civil disputes. He was also much interested in the work of village improvement, and he had a marked love for children and for music, which added to the attraction of his character.
Charles O. Parsons showed more than ordinary mental power in applying the knowledge he had acquired in his business training. He had a personal magnetism which drew men to him, and he never betrayed a confidence. He was a wise counsellor and a true friend. Besides, he was a natural lawyer and settled many cases for his fellow-villagers without recourse to the costly proceedings of law. In the art of pen- manship he was a past master and took much pride in the appearance of his legal documents and account books.
Charles O. Parsons
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The Parsons Family of Florence
Mr. Parsons for several years carried on and developed the business conducted by his father. This included the sell- ing of hay, grain, and coal, and a clothing and gentlemen's furnishing goods business. He sold the latter branch to Raymond Stowell, who still continues at the old stand.
He never took any very active interest in politics, though many times asked to run for office. However, he aided, in a quiet way, the work of the city committee of the Republican Party, of which he was always a member.
Probably his accomplishment and service in a public capacity will be best remembered as the head of the Florence fire department. He was chief engineer and always "on deck." He did much to infuse in his men that spirit of com- pany pride, without which no fire-fighting organization is worth much. But his public-spirit was not confined to the fire department. He was so active in the work of village improvement that there is hardly a street in Florence which does not bear the impress of his interest in its present ap- pearance. He spent much time in aiding the construction of the street fountain (a most valuable public work because it is for the use of man and beast) established by Julius Maine in front of Cosmian Hall, and the curbing of the sidewalks in that vicinity was of his own planning and supervisory execu- tion.
He was a director in the Cooperative Bank for many years, and took a deep interest in its growth. Many a Florence workingman should thank him for the fact that he owns his own home, and has money saved in the bank. For many years the treasurer of the Cooperative Bank has come from the center of the city each month to collect the dues of the shareholders in the village, and Mr. Parsons gave the use of his desk for the purpose. This custom his widow still con- tinues.
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The Memorial Day parade of automobiles was an idea of Mr. Parsons', and he spent much time arranging for the suc- cess that came from it. The parade is now a fixed part of the Memorial Day exercises and gives great pleasure to many.
In 1900 Mr. Parsons bought of his father the Maple Street land on which the present post-office stands, and later he acquired the remainder of the property. He then erected on it the block which now stands as a credit to his sagacity and his foresight for the needs of the village for at least one or two generations to come. This was the most important and com- modious business block in Florence, and it accordingly was at once appropriated by the leading local growing lines of trade. When the building was first opened for inspection the people of the community were greatly surprised at the advance which had been made in the equipment of such an efficient business block service. It might not be exactly sumptuous, but it was in every respect commodious and convenient, and much better than anything the village had seen locally before. The upper floor of the first block contained a hall finely decorated, and was equipped with all the conveniences required for the lodge rooms of the different fraternal orders which occupy it. As a matter of course, such a block as this in the business center of the village, adds attraction to the village dances which occur within its walls so frequently, and the pleasure-seeking and fraternal society gatherings of the village have had joint enjoyment in Mr. Parsons' business block achievement.
It is interesting to note the occupations of those who occupy the block in the present generation. First, on the corner, is the post-office. Then comes John W. Bird, the long-established newsdealer and confectioner, with his conven- ient ice cream parlors. Next is Raymond Stowell, with his expansion of the old Parsons clothing and gentlemen's furnish- ing business. Potter and Sons, with their grain and flour
Parsons Block at Florence
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The Parsons Family of Florence
business, bought of Mrs. C. O. Parsons, come next, and W. H. Rice, with his coal and wood business, is at the southerly end of the block. Besides, smaller and basement apartments are occupied by Bernache and O'Brien with a barber shop; by M. J. Doyle with a pool room and bowling alley; by McDon- nell Brothers with a drug store; and by M. C. Shannon with a millinery and fancy goods store. Over the stores are five up-to- date flats with all modern conveniences and equipments.
Mr. Parsons' death occurred September 19, 1914, and undoubtedly must be ascribed to overwork, for he took no vacations and too little pleasure. He may therefore properly be said to have been a victim of the over-strenuous life of the times in which he lived. He was not a man who worked for the mere pleasure of accumulating a hoard of money, but nevertheless had in mind constantly, as so many others have, the future needs of a growing family, and he did not spare himself, as he could have done, under a different and better system of society and government than the present so called "competitive," but, practically, abortive system of human living.
In his every-day character, as a man meeting daily with his fellowmen, Mr. Parsons was quiet, gentle, and unassuming. He was known by all, old and young, simply as "Charlie" Parsons, and the entire village mourned when his earthly form disappeared. In his home life he was just the same man known by the villagers, and those who worked with and for him realized, with his departure, that such quiet unasuming lives never can be forgotten and that they really continue more clearly in the spiritual impress they leave than in the earthly bodily existence.
The high esteem in which Mr. Parsons was held was shown at the time of his funeral. All public places and places of business were closed, and the exercises were largely attended
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by city officials and the villagers. His pastor, the Rev. Mr. Holway, gave an eloquent tribute, and referred feelingly to the deep interest which Mr. Parsons had taken in the improve- ment of the village and what he had done actively in that direction. In this connection the following resolutions will be of interest. The first were adopted by the board of Fire Engineers of the City of Northampton, and the second by Mill River Lodge of the New England Order of Protection.
IN MEMORIAM
Whereas, it has pleased The Divine Master to call from his earthly home to the home above, on September 19, 1914, our beloved brother,
Whereas, his service in the Northampton Fire Depart- ment, his ability to govern and his natural leadership amongst men has endeared him to his associates, and be it
Resolved: That we, as brothers, suffer with deep loss and sadness the departure of our beloved brother and officer and that we extend to his bereaved wife and family our heartfelt sympathy.
Whereas, our Heavenly Father in His infinite wisdom, has called our beloved brother, Charles O. Parsons, treasurer of this lodge, from this life to the life eternal; therefore be it,
Resolved: That in the death of our brother we have lost an esteemed and faithful member, one who was ever zealous in promoting the welfare of our organization, an efficient and trustworthy treasurer, a true and loyal friend, whose daily life was one of usefulness exemplified by the motto "Equity, Benevolence, and Charity."
Resolved: That our heartfelt sympathy be extended to his bereaved family.
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The Parsons Family of Florence
Resolved: That these resolutions be placed on our records and that a copy be sent to his family and our charter draped for thirty days. Respectfully submitted,
William Noble Mrs. Emma Tinker Mrs. Hannah Doppman Committee on Resolutions.
Florence, September 21, 1914.
After Mr. Parsons' death, his widow, Mrs. Mary C. Parsons, carried on the business under extremely trying circum- stances, yet very successfully. She did her husband's work until August, 1915, when she sold out to A. D. Potter's Sons Company, who rent the post-office and storehouses, and con- tinue in the same line of trade.
Not long after Mr. Parsons passed away a small bank book was found in his safe by his wife, and in it was written, in his well-known handwriting, "Originally earned and saved to buy a bicycle, but I thought better of it." That first money he earned is still in the bank and will be used by his wife to establish a fund to be known as the Charles O. Parsons Fund, the object of which, however, has not been made public at the present time.
Mr. Parsons' wife was Mary C. Dilworth of Belfast, Maine. She is the daughter of Martin C. and Margaret L. Dilworth. Her father was an experienced printer and news- paper man. He served as a soldier of the Civil War, and for many years was commander of the Thomas H. Marshall Post of Belfast, Maine. He was a recognized authority on military tactics. At the time he retired from active business he was the oldest printer in the state.
Mrs. Parsons, in her ancestry, both in her father's line and her mother's, comes from a race of soldiers and writers.
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Representative Families of Northampton
On her mother's side, a great-great-aunt, Lady Margaret Clare, led a small band of men during an uprising in Dublin, more than two hundred years ago. This Lady Clare was widely famed for her wit and daring.
The marriage of Miss Dilworth to Mr. Parsons took place June 14, 1892. Their three children, now living, are Dorothy, a student at Smith College, Charlotte Otis, a graduate of the Northampton High and the Commercial School, and Priscilla, a pupil at Miss Capen's school. Mr. Parsons' love for his wife and children was one of the beautiful things of his life, and his loss to them was a bitter sorrow.
George A. Burr
BY THE
SAME
OF
BURR.
GRIND 10 HUCH BURR
The Burr Coat of Arms
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GEORGE A. BURR
Manufacturer and Public-spirited Citizen
N O history of the manufacturing interests of North- ampton would be complete without a reference to the business life of George A. Burr of the village of Florence. Yet he was much more than a busy manufac- turer. He was a public-spirited citizen in the fullest sense of the words, and those living who were associated with him recall that association with pleasure, and regret that such a life was not extended to a longer period of usefulness.
The family name of Burr is said to have had its origin in the village of Beur in the Netherlands; and, as a matter of fact, there is hardly a village in the European coast region adjacent to England but has furnished the English people with a surname.
In 1630 there came to this country with Winthrop's fleet John Burr, the first of the Burr family to emigrate across the Atlantic. He settled in Roxbury, Massachusetts, and he at once took a prominent part in the material affairs of the colony. He and his wife were made members of the church, and he was appointed overseer of roads and bridges, and one of a committee to construct a cart-bridge over Muddy River.
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Representative Families of Northampton
The settlers early heard of the rich lands in the Connecti- cut River Valley, and in the spring of 1636 William Pynchon and John Burr with other men and their families set out for the land of promise. They traveled in the usual fashion of those times, the women on horseback, and the men on foot by a blazed trail. The company came to a final halt beside the Connecticut River where they founded a village that they called Agawam. A deed of the land was given by the Indians to three of the pioneers, Pynchon, Burr, and Smith, June 15, 1636. Burr's name was affixed to the records and may be seen in the archives of old Hampshire County.
In 1644 Mr. Burr removed to Fairfield, Connecticut, and the next year he was elected to represent that town in the General Court, and again in 1646. He served as a com- missioner to collect funds for poor scholars at Harvard Col- lege, and in 1660 he was chosen a grand juror. No record of his marriage or death has been found.
George Ames Burr was a native of Worthington, Massa- chusetts, where he was born December 12, 1829. He was the son of Ames Burr, who was born in Worthington, January 18, 1793, and died there October 21, 1875. Ames married Relief Eager of Worthington. Like most of his fellow citi- zens, he was a farmer. He was noted for his upright and practical character, and was often consulted by his neighbors in matters of doubt because of his sound judgment.
The grandfathers of the subject of this sketch were Israel Burr, who was born in 1756, and died January 12, 1827, and William Eager of Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The grandmothers were Hannah Ames and Brett.
George Burr could trace his ancestry back to the year 1604, to Rev. Jonathan Burr, who was born in the parish of Redgrave, Suffolk, England, in that year. This English minister was a graduate of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge,
George A. Burr
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George A. Burr
England, in 1627. He came to America and settled in Dor- chester, Massachusetts, as a colleague of Rev. Richard Mather. Among the American ancestors of George Burr was Israel Burr, a soldier of the Revolution.
The boy George Burr left his father's home and the farm life behind when he was about fourteen years of age. He made good use of the educational facilities afforded him by his native town, and at the time he left Worthington for the duties of a wider field of life he was as well equipped as any country schoolboy could be. Endowed also with the sturdy common sense and fair judgment inherited from a good ancestry, he came to Northampton to see what fortune had in store for him here.
His first venture was as a clerk in the dry goods store of the famous firm of Stoddard and Lathrop. It was the custom then for the older dry goods clerks to "bait" new boys in various ways, informing them that as they had come to "learn to sell rags" they must "take what was coming to them," etc. But young Burr accepted all this good naturedly and made friends easily by his good nature and willingness to receive the knocks as well as favors of fortune with equanimity.
He only occupied the position of clerk until he had pretty thoroughly mastered the details of mercantile trade, and then abandoned dry goods selling as a vocation. Though still a boy in years, he engaged in business for himself, in partnership with Lewis J. McIntyre. The firm dealt in flour, grain, and coal. His firm brought to Northampton the first ton of coal which came into the town. Mr. Burr made a fairly successful venture in this line of trade, but presently retired from his partnership with McIntyre and removed to the town of Bleecker, New York. There he formed a partnership with a gentleman by the name of Oden-
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Representative Families of Northampton
kirk, for the manufacture of various kinds of wooden ware. The partnership continued for that purpose until about 1860, or in all, practically ten years. It enjoyed uniform financial success until a fire destroyed the establishment. Consider- able machinery and manufacturing stock shared the fate of the buildings.
But Mr. Burr was then in the prime of a vigorous and healthy manhood and, undaunted by his reverses, he decided to return to Northampton and await the tide of fortune. He had not long to wait, for news of his enterprise and energy was soon made known. Business ability and attainments in young men are generally recognized, sooner or later, and so it was in Mr. Burr's case. The Florence Sewing Machine Company was at that time beginning to predicate its after- growth, magnitude, and celebrity, and it needed just such a man as Mr. Burr to steer the executive wheel of business. He was elected general agent and for a time acted as financier and treasurer of the company.
Under the management of Mr. Burr the company imme- diately began to augment and extend its manufacturing fa- cilities, large and substantial buildings were erected for this purpose and rapidly supplied with the requisite machinery; there was a call for increased employees, and these and other evidences of material prosperity made the village of Florence flourish like a "green bay tree." Local agencies were es- tablished throughout the country for the sale of the sewing- machines, and the company stock rapidly advanced in value, finally selling for 200 per cent. and upward. It seems to have been properly claimed that had the same honesty, in- tegrity, and ability that characterized the administration of the central home office, governed the management of the prominent local offices, the financial condition of the company would have shown the same marvel of business prosperity
Residence of Mrs. F. N. Look at Florence
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George A. Burr
that has distinguished the management of some other great sewing-machine enterprises, and the village of Florence would still be as important a seat of that industry as it was for a decade or so.
After Mr. Burr's work for the Florence Sewing Machine Company was finished he began the foundation of the present Florence Manufacturing Company, an enterprise in which he was the leading spirit, and which stands today as a monu- ment to his business sagacity. For some years previous to the establishment of this corporation a company known as Littlefield, Parsons and Company had been engaged in the manufacture of daguerreotype cases, buttons, and other goods for which the material used was appropriate. This company occupied rooms in the building that is now the central mill of the Nonotuck Company. The old company was merged in the new organization, which was incorporated as above named, and the present large substantial brick building was erected on the east side of Mill River nearly opposite the site of Dr. Munde's famous water cure establishment. When the officers of the new company were chosen it was quite a matter of course that Mr. Burr was made general agent and treasurer, positions which he held to within a few days of his death. The great industry which Mr. Burr built up is flourishing more than ever today, fully fifty years after its establishment by him, and it gives constant employment to several hundred hands.
Mr. Burr showed his public spirit on many occasions, most notably when he backed financially the enterprise which brought Jenny Lind to the First Church in Northampton, for her famous concert. To this day there are a few who describe with great feeling their own emotions on this occa- sion when the great singer, with all the fervor of her own religious conviction and her angelic voice, sang "I know that
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my Redeemer lives." It was a wonderful occasion, and those who brought it about deserved the gratitude that was ex- pressed by the community.
Mr. Burr was a Republican, but he was not ambitious politically, though often importuned to allow the use of his name for office. However, he held the office of selectman for several years, representing his part of the town, and he could have had any office within the gift of his fellow citizens, but he was too devoted to his business to allow of any division of his energies. He was elected one of the directors of the Northampton National Bank, an office which he held several years, and when the Florence Savings Bank was established he was chosen vice-president of that institution.
The personal character of Mr. Burr was beyond re- proach. In all his business transactions he was strictly honest and honorable. A gentleman withal, he was sedate and dignified in social intercourse, but genial and hearty in his home and neighborhood associations. His business ne- gotiations were of such directness, brevity, and positiveness that they were easily understood and contributed greatly, without a doubt, to the success he made of his business. He was a member of the Florence Congregational Church, having united by letter from one of the Northampton churches soon after the Rev. E. G. Cobb had been installed. From the time of his removal to Florence to the time of his death he was a prominent and liberal supporter of this church and the cause of Christianity in general.
When the funeral services were held after his death there was widespread mourning, for Mr. Burr was popular not only in the village of Florence but over a large extent of the country, among business men, and business friends from cities east and west at a considerable distance attended. The funeral address of Mr. Burr's pastor especially memori-
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