USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Royalston > The history of the town of Royalston, Massachusetts > Part 23
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Stephen Richardson, sixth child of Timothy and Sarah (Estey) Richardson, was born in Royalston, Sept. 4, 1799. He was twice married, first to Lydia Raymond, June 16, 1807, who died Nov. 19, 1838; he married second a widow, Mrs. Sally Walker, who survived him and died in 1877 at the age of ninety-three years at the home of her son, Aaron Walker in Boston. He was a man of sterling character and always held the respect of the townspeople among whom he lived - a good type of the "old time," sturdy yeomanry, who did so much to build up our Commonwealth. He died suddenly of heart failure Dec. 14, 1863, on the farm settled by his father and on which he had always lived. He had three sons, Luther, born April, 15, 1808, who married Abigail F. Hazeltine of Winchendon, Feb. 15, 1835, and died in Winchendon in 1842; Lysander, born in 1812, who became a physician in Jaffrey, N. H., and died in 1843; and Franklin Richardson.
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Franklin Richardson youngest son of Stephen and Lydia (Raymond) Richardson, was born Oct. 11, 1815. He married Sarah Emerson, Sept. 2, 1840; she died Aug. 21, and he married second, Abigail M. Tenney, Dec. 22, 1841. He had a daughter, Sarah E., by his first wife, who lived less than a year. When quite young he worked in a cabinet shop in Royalston Centre near where the blacksmith shop is now lo- cated. One of his fellow shopmates for a short time, who worked at the same bench with him, was a young man from Vermont by the name of Joseph Smith, who became known in later years as the founder of the Mormon religion. He lived on the home farm with his father until the death of the latter in 1863. Soon after he sold the farm, and bought a place near the "Common" on the South Royalston road. In a short time he bought the store of Obadiah Walker in 1865. This store was located where the present parsonage of the Con- gregational Church now stands. He carried on this store for two years and then retired from business. He died Sept. 23, 1881. An adopted daughter, Addie Richardson, married Henry R. Newton of Waterford, Vt., Feb. 26, 1880. They have two sons, Leon R. of Greenfield, Mass., and Ernest A. of Charlestown, Mass. Mr. and Mrs. Newton reside in St. Johnsbury, Vt.
Abijah Richardson, son of Timothy Richardson. He settled on the home lot of his father, Timothy Richardson, the place later known as the Benjamin W. Upham farm. He married Hannah Eddy, daughter of Benjamin Eddy of Royalston, Nov. 26, 1778. They had eight children, all but one of whom were born in Royalston. It is said that he was concerned in Shay's Rebellion, and desiring to get beyond the jurisdiction of Massachusetts moved to Fitzwilliam, N. H., about 1787, and exchanged his Royalston farm for one in Fitzwilliam, where his brother Eliphalet had previously lived. A few years later, probably about 1791, he returned to his farm in Royalston.
Abijah Richardson, Jr., who succeeded his father, Abijah, on the home place, was born Feb. 2, 1794. He married Lucy Whitney, daughter of Elder Ephraim Whitney, Dec. 18, 1821. They had six children: Hannah, Ephraim W., Lucy, Andrew Jackson and Alice. Lucy (Whitney) Richardson died Sept. 18, 1833. Ephraim W. Richardson, born Feb. 28,
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1824, after graduating from college, died just as he was entering upon the ministry.
Andrew Jackson Richardson. born March 8, 1829, went to Wisconsin, and was Captain of a company in the Civil War.
Jefferson, born Aug. 2, 1827, was a teacher in the Royal- ston schools, enlisted in a New Hampshire regiment in the war, and died when on his way home from the war.
Abijah Richardson, Jr., married second, Melinda Cut- ler, daughter of Tarrant and Lydia Cutler, April 1, 1834. They had three children, George O., Leander and Levi A. Melinda (Cutler) Richardson died June, 1879. Abijah Rich- ardson, Jr., died April 24, 1840.
Dr. Thomas Richardson, came to Royalston about 1790. He was a descendant of Thomas Richardson, the youngest of the three brothers who came on "Winthrop's Fleet." He had eleven children born in Royalston between 1789 and 1810. He moved to Fitzwilliam, N. H. in 1812. George Carter Richardson, who became a prominent merchant of Boston and Mayor of Cambridge, was one of his sons. A sketch of Dr. Thomas Richardson appears in the chapter of the Medical Profession, and one of Hon. George Carter Richardson under "Sons of Royalston."
THE GREGORY FAMILY
The Gregory family is a remarkable example of great business ability shown through three or four generations of able business and public men. Isaac Gregory, the first of the family name to become identified with Royalston history was born in Weston, Mass., Sept. 1, 1759, a son of Isaac and Mercy (Lawrence) Gregory. He came to Royalston from Templeton about the close of the Revolution. He married Susana Holman, who died in Royalston, Jan. 12, 1793. During the latter part of the eighteenth century and the early years of the nineteenth he was probably the most prominent man in the town in public and church affairs, and died Sept. 15, 1808 at the early age of forty- nine years. Judging from the important positions he filled he evidently was an extremely busy man. Between 1794
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and 1808 he represented the town of Royalston, seven years in the General Court, was Town Clerk five years, Selectman eight years, between 1792 and 1803, Assessor twelve years, between 1788 and 1805 and deacon of the Congregational Church from Jan. 5, 1795 to the day of his death.
He married, second, widow Molly Town of Fitzwilliam, N. H., in 1793. No children by this marriage. The children of Isaac and Susana (Holman) Gregory were four sons: Jonathan, born June 15, 1786, Isaac, born July 18, 1888, Tille, born Oct. 5, 1790 and Franklin, born Dec. 14, 1792. Jonathan married Eunice Putnam of New Salem, at Phila- delphia, Pa. They had several children. He died in Phila- delphia. Isaac married Fannie Field of Northfield. Tille died in Paramaribo, South America.
Major-General Franklin Gregory, youngest son of Isaac and Susana Gregory, was born in Royalston, Dec. 14, 1782. He received his education in the public schools of Royalston, and went at an early age into a store in Boston, where he laid the foundation for a business life, after which he returned to Royalston and engaged in mercantile pursuits, building up an extensive business, and also carried on a large business in straw hats, having a bleachery. He followed in the footsteps of his father, in holding public offices; represented the town in the General Court in 1831 and 1833, was Town Clerk in 1819 and 1820, and from 1825 to 1836 inclusive, fourteen years in all; and was Postmaster of the Royalston office from Aug. 22, 1823 to Sept. 10, 1836.
In early life he joined the State Militia and developed a great fondness for military affairs. He was made Lieut .- Colonel of the Fifth Regiment, Second Brigade Massachusetts State Militia in 1821, served as Colonel in 1823 and 1824, was made Brigadier-General of Sixth Division, Second Brigade in 1825 and 1826, and was made Major-General of the Sixth Division in 1827, serving four years. He did escort duty when General Marquis De Lafayette visited Worcester in 1825.
He was a man whose honorable career won for him the love and esteem of his fellow citizens, and whose un- blemished reputation was a rich legacy to his children. He died July 6, 1836 at the early age of forty-four years. He
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married Martha Porter Edwards of Boston, Dec. 10, 1818. She was born April 5, 1795 and died Feb. 2, 1874.
Their children, all born at Royalston, are: Sarah Wayland Gregory, born Dec. 10, 1820; she married Oliver Watriss of Cambridge, Nov. 19, 1815, they had four children all living in 1915. She died at Cambridge, Mass., Jan. 9, 1886.
Franklin Edwards Gregory, son of Franklin and Martha (Edwards) Gregory, was. born in Royalston, May 7, 1822. At the age of sixteen, after an education acquired in the public schools of Royalston, he entered as a boy, the dry goods store of - - Austin in Royalston. After a few months he went to Keene, N. H., and entered the dry goods store of Wales Kimball, and in 1840 went to Cambridge- port, Mass., where he became clerk in the dry goods store of Edward Hyde. In 1843 he became a salesman in the well- established house of Dutton, Richardson & Co., in Boston, and in 1847 was admitted to partnership in the firm, which continued under the same firm name until 1855, when it became Gregory, Tilton & Co. In 1861 Mr. Gregory retired from the dry goods business, and soon after became a partner in the firm of Spear, Burke & Gregory on Central Wharf, the business being chiefly dealing in oils and starch.
In 1864 he left this new business, and with his old partner, George C. Richardson, also a native of Royalston, formed the well-known house of George C. Richardson & Co., which con- tinued until 1880. From that time as long as he was able to engage in active business his time was occupied in the man- agement of trusts and trust estates, and in the duties of director and manager of financial and other enterprises. He was a di- rector in the Revere National Bank of Boston, vice-president of the Framingham National Bank and Framingham Savings Bank and trustee of the Washington and Potomac Railroad. He resided in Cambridge from 1840 to 1883; when he removed to Framingham. On May 26, 1847, he married Sarah Frances Bird, daughter of William Bird of Boston. They had three children : William F., who became a partner in the house of Wm. Claflin & Co., in the shoe trade, Charles F., and Anna Edwards, His career from a boy in a retail country store in his native town of Royalston, to the head of one of Boston's leading commission houses, shows that he must have been
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possessed of a sound judgment and wise foresight. He died in Cambridge, June 29, 1903.
John Porter Gregory, second son of General Franklin Gregory, was born Nov. 6, 1823. He married Sarah Lane Gregory; they had one child who died at Mexico; he married second, Mary Stone Gregory by whom he had one child, who died at Guam. He was in business in Cambridge with Abel Bruce, and was for many years agent of the Union Glass Co., of Somerville. He died June 23, 1909 at Paterson, N. J.
Isaac Holman Gregory, was born Dec. 8, 1825. He first went to work in an Athol store and when his mother moved her family to Cambridge he went with her and found employment with Abel Bruce. He made several changes in the course of years; at one time he was with Chandler & Co., large dry goods house on Summer Street, Boston, where he had charge of their wholesale department; after this he opened a store in Charlestown, N. H., and from there went to Keesville, N. Y. His health failing him, he gave up business and returned to Cambridge. When sufficiently recovered to resume business he went west for a Boston dry goods house and located in Chicago where he remained until his death, April 20, 1898. He was a bachelor.
Martha Ann Gergory, was born Aug. 24, 1829. She married Wm. H. Ladd of Lynn, April 2, 1857. He was for a long time teacher and proprietor of the Chauncey Hall School in Boston. They had two children. She died Sept. 26, 1893, at Lynn, Mass. George Henry Gregory, died at the age of eleven years at Cambridge, and is buried in the Edwards tomb on Boston Common.
Charles Augustus Gregory, born Sept. 7, 1833. A sketch of him will be found in another chapter of this history.
Frederick W. Gregory, the youngest son of General Franklin Gregory, was born Nov. 13, 1835. He has been engaged in the oil and starch business for the past forty-five years and has been in and seen the various changes of the oil business from the manufacture of sperm and whale oil to coal and petroleum oils, and. its up and downs during that period. He was first, for about twenty-seven years, at Central Wharf, Boston, under the firm name of Speare, Gregory & Co., afterwards at 162 High Street under firm name of F. W. Gregory & Co., and having connections in Providence as
11.
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THE GREGORY FAMILY
large importers of olive oil; also a factory in Salem, Mass. for manufacture of vulcanized products for rubber goods manufacturers; also New York connections as partner. He married Delia M. Booth of Hobart, N. Y. He is now living at Waban. Mass.
THE GODDARD FAMILY
The English ancestor of the Goddards of New England was one Edward Goddard, a wealthy farmer of Norfolk, who, taking the parliament side in the Civil War, was reduced to poverty by the Cavaliers. His son William, "citizen and grocer," of London in 1666 embarked for the American wilder- ness with his wife and children, and landed in Watertown, Mass., settling on a small farm directly opposite the meeting- house almost in sight of the "homestall" of Richard Gale; though the two family streams did not unite until they had flowed, after that, a long time and a long way separately. William's son, Benjamin, "admitted to full communion, July 31, 1687" lived in Charlestown. A second Benjamin, son of the last named, a "housewright," settled in Grafton, Mass., whence his son Samuel, removed to Royalston and settled upon a tract of wild land in the northwest part of the town about the year 1778. His was a representative household of the old Puritan stock; prayerful, austere, persistent, hard-working, faithful and ambitious. Most of the children inherited un- usual intellectual ability, and in spite of scanty means, several of the nine sons acquired a liberal education. They all reached maturity but three, and were intelligent men of high character.
Samuel Goddard, son of Benjamin Goddard of Grafton, Mass., was born in that town, and was by occupation and trade, a farmer, shoemaker and tanner. He learned his shoe- maker and tanner's trade near his father's homestead in Grafton. He served his time, three years, three months and three days. He married Elizabeth King, daughter of Henry King, Esq., of Sutton. She was a woman of refinement and unusual in- telligence and education for those days.
He went to Royalston when about thirty years old, in 1778, and settled on the farm that remained in and was occupied by the Goddard family until about 1895. He first came with-
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out his family, and made a little clearing, and proceeded to erect a house in which he lived before a floor was made, doing his own cooking and taking his meals on a board laid across the sills. As soon as he had two rooms done, he went to Sutton and brought to this house, his wife and three children. He made his first sled with no tools but an ax. He built a tannery, and the people of Orange, Richmond and other towns used to bring hides there to be tanned.
He continued clearing up the land, farming, shoemaking and tanning, and by the utmost economy and hard work got to be in comfortable circumstances for that place. He was interested in town affairs and was for several years one of the Selectmen and Assessors.
The children of Samuel and Elizabeth (King) Goddard were: Henry, Samuel, Asahel, Salmon, James and Elizabeth who grew to maturity, besides four others who died in infancy. Henry lived to be seventy-eight years of age and was always an in- valid after he was sixteen years old; the first part of his life he was a merchant, and kept store in a building erected about 1790 for that purpose. One Avery afterwards kept store in the same place. Subsequently Samuel and Henry Goddard, Squire Peck and one Pierce kept store in the middle of the town near the site of the Rufus Bullock residence. They were burned out.
Asahel, Henry and James went to Belfast, Maine, in 1803, and carried on a store there, but did not succeed well. Asahel died in 1806 of fever. Henry lived at Belfast thirty years, teaching, storekeeping and some of the time making pocket- books and weavers' reeds. In 1836, he returned to Massa- chusetts, lived a while in Millbury and then at Royalston, where he died of consumption in 1848.
He was a man of unusual education for the times, a great reader, an ardent anti-slavery man, and always of some promi- nence in political affairs. He was the tallest of the family- about six feet. James went from Belfast to Messina, one hundred miles west of Lake Champlain, and engaged in the lumber business. He lived there some ten years, and then went to Little Valley in New York State, where he married Hannah Hay, who weighed three hundred pounds. He died in western New York.
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THE GODDARD FAMILY
Samuel Goddard, son of Samuel and Elizabeth (King) God- dard, followed storekeeping with poor success, but always had taste and talent for preaching. He kept school a good deal, and was the first to propose a prayer meeting in the church at Royalston. He urged upon Mr. Lee, the minister, a monthly prayer meeting at the church. Mr. Lee at first refused it as a novelty, but finally assented and gave public notice of such meeting. The meeting was a success and was ever after kept up as monthly or weekly. When more than thirty years old he began to study for the ministry. He was first settled as a minister at Concord, N. H., and as missionary in that State. Subsequently he preached in Norwich, Vt., for many years; three years after he was stone blind, and died there in 1844. He was known all over that part of Vermont as "Father God- dard."
Elizabeth Goddard, only daughter of Samuel and Elizabeth (King) Goddard, is described as a slender, pretty looking girl with blue eyes and auburn hair, and was from childhood of very delicate health. Squire Peck wanted to marry her, but her father opposed the match and told Mr. Peck that he did not want Elizabeth to marry him. Peck said that the Goddards would not have objected to him if he had been born with a singing book in his hand.
She finally married him, June 5, 1794, and after living in Royalston some twelve years they moved to Montpelier, Vt., where she died in 1834 about sixty years of age. She is said to have been a woman of the finest and sweetest temper, and a devoted Christian. Two of her sons, Nahum and Asahel, both born in Royalston, were eminent lawyers of Vermont, Asahel having been one of the judges of the Supreme Court of Vermont, and also Governor of the State.
Elizabeth (King) Goddard, wife of Lieut. Samuel Goddard, died March 15, 1786, and he married, second, the widow Cathe- rine Parks of Gerry, June 29, 1790.
Of the children of this second marriage four attained ma- turity: Benjamin, Tamar, Nathaniel and Danford.
Tamar Goddard was born Feb. 10, 1795. She married Isaac Gale, March 10, 1813 and was the mother of ten children, among them Samuel C. Gale, Amory and Harlow A.
Benjamin Goddard, son of Samuel and Catherine (Parks) Goddard, was born in Royalston, and when a
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young man went to Worcester, where in 1822 he became the partner of Ichabod Washburn in the manufacture of woolen machinery and lead pipe, the firm being Washburn & Goddard, and they soon employed thirty men. They made the first condenser and long-roll spinning-jack ever made in Worcester County, and among the first in the country.
In 1831, they sold this business and moved to Northville on a small water privilege, where they made card wire and wire for screens. The business was in 1835 removed to its present location on Grove Street, and since then has grown to its pres- ent large proportion, contributing to the support directly and indirectly of perhaps one-sixth of the population of Worcester, and known the world over. The partnership of Washburn & Goddard was dissolved in 1835. About 1840, Mr. Wash- burn bought the water power and property now occupied by the Worcester Wire Company at South Worcester, and Mr. Goddard took charge of the mill, which position he retained until his death, in 1867, and all three of his sons worked there,- Delano, who afterwards became the accomplished editor of the Boston Advertiser; Henry, who for many years was at the head of one of the important departments of the Washburn & Moen Manufacturing Co., and Dorrance, who for many years was the superintendent of the South Works of the company.
Nathaniel Goddard, son of Samuel and Catherine (Parks) Goddard, was born in Royalston, Feb. 7, 1797. He was edu- cated in the common schools of Royalston, and then served an apprenticeship at the trade of boot and shoemaker. He went to Millbury, Mass., March 19, 1819, six years after the incorporation of Millbury, and immediately began the manu- facture of boots and shoes for the local trade. In 1826, his brother Danford became a partner with him, under the firm name of N. & D. Goddard. This partnership continued until 1834, when Danford retired from the firm. His next partner was Abner Rice, the firm being Goddard & Rice. Their busi- ness constantly increased, and they were having quite a large southern and western trade. They next turned their attention to the carrying of leather in connection with their boot and shoe business. Iu 1851, the firm of Goddard & Rice was dis- solved and Ira N. Goddard became a partner with his father, the firm being N. Goddard & Son, and the business was con- ducted under this name until the death of Nathaniel Goddard,
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THE GODDARD FAMILY
Dec. 8, 1887. He was a prominent man of affairs in the town, and was chosen to serve in various public offices. He was a member of the Congregational Church in which he served as deacon for more than fifty years. Throughout his long busi- ness career he maintained the character of an honest, upright man, and was ever found on the side of truth, justice and equal rights. He married in Royalston, Oct. 27, 1820, Rhoda Baker Gale, a lineal descendant of two prominent early settlers of Massachusetts - Richard Baker, who emigrated from Eng- land to Dorchester, Mass., in 1635; and Richard Gale, who settled in Watertown in 1640. She died in Millbury, Dec. 27, 1883. Their children were: Julia A., Maria, Sophia and Ira Nathaniel.
Julia A., born April 25, 1822, married Henry W. Benchley, who was lieutenant-governor of Massachusetts in 1858. She died July 30, 1854, leaving two children: Maria died at the age of ten years; Sophia married Rufus Wesson.
Ira Nathaniel, only son of Nathaniel and Rhoda (Gale) Goddard, was born March 1, 1830. After obtaining his edu- cation in the common schools and academy of Millbury, he worked for his father in the shoe business; was admitted into partnership with his father as junior member, and on the death of his father succeeded to the entire business and parental estate. In addition to his shoe business he was agent for many life and fire insurance companies, was president of the Millbury savings bank, held many town offices, having been town clerk for sixty consecutive years, which position he held at the time of his death.
He was elected to the Legislature in 1905, was prominent in the Congregational Church of which he was clerk for many years and also superintendent of the Sunday school.
He married, June 26, 1856, Josephine C. Ryan, daughter of John and Caroline (Merritt) Ryan of Millbury, and they had two children: one died in infancy, and Harry M., born in Millbury, Aug. 3, 1859.
Colonel Salmon Goddard, son of Samuel and Elizabeth God- dard, was born in Royalston, Jan. 6, 1783. He succeeded his father on the farm and in the tannery business, and was a prominent citizen in his day. He represented the town in the General Court of 1838, served on the board of assessors for seven years, and was a leader in civic and military affairs.
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He was married, Oct. 7, 1807 to Dolly Faulkner, the daughter of a sterling patriot who won distinction in the American army during the struggle for National Independence. She died June 24, 1824, at the age of thirty-nine years and six months; he married, second, Lucy Goddard of Petersham, May 8, 1825. He was the father of eight children, all by the first wife; three died in infancy or early childhood. Ann married Clement Reed; Elizabeth died single; Dolly died at the age of eighteen years.
Salmon Goddard, son of Salmon and Dolly (Faulkner) God- dard, was born March 25, 1816. For many years he was one of the most prosperous farmers of Royalston, serving as select- man, surveyor of highways, and in other town offices. He was originally an old line Whig, and a loyal supporter of the Republican party from the time of its formation until his death. He married Charlotte Augusta Day of Worcester, Oct. 31, 1842. They had three children: Mary C., born Feb. 11, 1844; Lucy Maria, born June 3, 1849, and Herbert S., born April 11, 1852.
Mary C. Goddard married Asaph M. White. Mr. White died Sept. 29, 1906, since which time Mrs. White has resided in Athol.
Lucy Maria Goddard married Cyrus D. Davis, they lived in in Athol, Petersham and Keene, N. H., where she died in 1913.
Herbert S. Goddard, son of Salmon Goddard, was born in Royalston, April 11, 1852. He was educated in the district schools of his native town, Powers Institute, Bernardston, Mass. and at the University of Minnesota. In early life, he became associated with Cyrus D. Davis, his brother-in-law, in carry- ing on lumbering operations in Royalston, Petersham, Athol and vicinity, and in connection with that business they operated a steam sawmill.
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