USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume III > Part 26
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On June 7, 1894, Dr. George G. Bailey married Grace Foster Damon, of Ipswich, and they are the parents of three children : I. Ann K., wife of Francis G. Ross. 2. Mar- tha P., wife of August Benedict. 3. George G., Jr., a graduate of Harvard University, Bachelor of Arts; Harvard Medical School, June, 1933, Doctor of Medicine; now serv- ing as an interne in St. Luke's Hospital, in New Bedford, Massachusetts.
RALPH W. BURNHAM-The town of Ipswich rightfully boasts one of the most unique and unusual personalities in the Na- tion. He is Ralph W. Burnham who has attained the distinction of becoming one of the largest and most widely recognized an- tique dealers in the United States. The business, which at one time was a hobby with him, grew out of his desire to preserve those historic articles that during the past generations played such an important part in the life of the people. A man thoroughly versed in the history and lore of his sur- roundings, he acquired objects of true worth which have won the unstinted praise of thousands. Blessed with residing in one of the most historic sections of the United States, Mr. Burnham started by acquiring relics for his own satisfaction, purchased one of the oldest homes in this vicinity and furnished it in such a quaint and attractive manner that soon scores of spectators were heating a path to his door with the desire of buying. The demand became so great that he finally abandoned business and de- voted his entire time to this work. Through- out his residence here he has also taken a keen and active part in the affairs of this community and through his enthusiastic public-spirited outlook has come to be iden- tified with many of the leading organiza- tions in addition to holding important and responsible offices.
A native of the State of Massachusetts, Mr. Burnham was born in Ipswich on Sep- tember 12, 1876, the son of Joseph Howard and Sarah Thomas (Trott) Burnham. He received a general education in the public schools of his native community, which was to be interrupted during his early youth due to unavoidable circumstances. He was twelve years old when he left school to be- come a back-boy in the Ipswich Mills. He remained at this task for two years and then, finding it possible, returned to resume
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his studies which he completed in 1895, graduating from the Manning High School. Shortly thereafter he went to the city of Boston where he embarked on a business career by becoming associated with the A. L. Perkins Company, manufacturers of shoe machinery and supplies, an affiliation he maintained for four years when he went into business with three other partners in a con- cern which operated under the title of the Globe Shoe Tool Company. He worked in the capacity of sales representative here until 1901, when Globe sold out to the United Shoe Machinery Company. In this transaction he went with the latter organi- zation and served them for the next five years.
During the above period he had married and had purchased what is now known as the Burnham House on Linebrook Road, said to have been built in 1640. He restored the old landmark and made it one of the most fascinating places on the North Shore. From his youth he had manifested a desire to collect things and as he grew older this characteristic was centered on antiques. It was the rare pieces that he had spent years in acquiring that he put into his remodeled home. At the time he had no intention of going into the antique business or selling any of his cherished articles. The ever- increasing and constant flow of people that came to visit the Burnham House and in- quired about the relative value of the many curios that adorned its interior was the final factor in Mr. Burnham's becoming one of the most celebrated antique dealers in New England. In 1906 he abandoned the shoe industry to center his energies on the Burn- ham House and launched out on a career which has been marked for its distinction and success.
The business experienced remarkable ex- pansion and soon Mr. Burnham had en- larged his facilities to such an extent that he
was reputed to be the owner of many an- tique holdings, which were stored in the various buildings of his extensive "Antique Drome" on Washington Street. He con- tinued to live at the Burnham House until 1913 when he leased the property to Mrs. Martha L. Murray who established a tea room there and in 1920 purchased the old home. In 1917 he bought the Woodbury estate on High Street and established his famous antique trading post which has be- come famous throughout the Nation and has been the center of his activities ever since. Throughout he had been interested in se- curing some of the old homes in this sec- tion and between 1914 and 1924 acquired many interesting and attractive places, among them the Roger Manse home at No. I High Street, that he converted into an inn which was operated by his brother, Joseph H. Burnham, until the latter's un- timely death in 1924. He had also come into possession of the Proctor House next to Choate Bridge, which, according to Mr. Burnham, is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, house in New England, a fact for which there is documentary proof. Another establishment he secured was the Sherburn Wilson House where today he operates the Burnham Galleries in the back courtyard. It is here one may view some of the finest examples of American art.
Though he has devoted the greater part of his energies to his business pursuits he has not neglected his civic and social duties but rather has taken a keen and active part in the affairs of his surroundings, where, between 1918 and 1924, he served as a mem- ber of the school board and during the lat- ter year was chairman of that body. He is also a member and president of the Ipswich Historical Society, past president of the Ipswich Rotary Club and one of the most active members of the Parish Players. In his fraternal affiliations he is a member of
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the Independent Order of Odd Fellows and in politics abides by the policies of the Re- publican party. In religion he worships at the Congregational Church.
On December 25, 1900, Mr. Burnham married Nellie Mae Dow.
PEER PRESCOTT JOHNSON, A. B., M. D., F. A. C. S .- For three decades, with the exception of the World War period, Peer Prescott Johnson, M. D., has been one of the foremost surgeons of Beverly. He was born in Wallingford, Vermont, August 21, 1875, the son of Otis S. and Marietta Blanche (Sherman) Johnson, his father being an edu- cator and for some time the principal of Brigham Academy, at Bakersfield, Vermont. Both parents died when the son was in his early youth, and much of his scholastic prep- aration for his profession was obtained at the cost of his own hard earnings. After being graduated from the Burlington, Ver- mont, High School in 1894, he entered the University of Vermont, located in that same city, and was graduated with the class of 1898, a Bachelor of Arts. Two years of fur- ther study in the Medical School of his alma mater, and he had received his degree, Doc- tor of Medicine. For two and a half years he was an interne and house physician in the Boston City Hospital.
In 1903 Dr. Johnson located in Beverly, established an office as a practicing physi- cian and was successful in building up a large clientele. His natural interest and native abilities tended toward surgery rather than the dispensing of medicine. The doctor now specializes exclusively in surgery, and is head surgeon of the Beverly Hospital. He is a member of the Massachusetts State Medical Association, the American Medical Association, the New England Surgical So- ciety and is a Fellow of the American Col- lege of Surgeons.
Dr. Johnson has the distinction of having served in two of the Nation's major wars. He was a private in the Spanish-American War before he had obtained his medical de- gree. In his earlier days he was also a mem- ber of the Massachusetts National Guard, assistant surgeon of the 8th Regiment. For two years Dr. Johnson was in the United States Medical Corps, during the World War, and was overseas for six months with the American Expeditionary Forces as chief surgeon of an evacuation hospital near Ver- dun, France, and was also with the Army of Occupation, at Coblenz, Germany. Commis- sioned a captain he was promoted through the grades to a lieutenant-colonelcy. Upon his return to the United States he was for a time chief surgeon at the Base Hospital, at Camp Sherman, Chillicothe, Ohio. Dr. John- son is a director of the Beverly National Bank. Among his clubs and similar organi- zations are numbered the University Club of Boston, the Cruising Club of America, the Manchester Yacht Club, and the Salem Golf Club, indicating his fondness for out-of-door sports, particularly cruising in his yacht when professional duties permit.
On January 8, 1906, Peer Prescott John- son, M. D., married Elizabeth Gould Torrey, daughter of Dr. Samuel W. and Elizabeth (Robinson) Torrey, and a great-great-grand- daughter of Dr. Menassah Cutler, who was one of the founders of Marietta, the first settlement in Ohio, in 1788. Dr. and Mrs. Johnson are the parents of three children : I. Deborah. 2. Elizabeth, who is the wife of John W. Bethel, and they have a son, John Torrey Bethel. 3. Peer Prescott Johnson, Jr.
EDWARD J. RATTE-As owner and directing head of the A. E. Mack Agency, Incorporated, Edward J. Ratte is one of the most successful and promising young business executives of his native city of
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Lawrence, where, for the past sixteen years, he has devoted his career to the sale of in- surance.
Mr. Ratte was born in Lawrence, April 21, 1899, the son of Joseph A. and Hilde B. (Becotte) Ratte, both natives of Canada, who came to this city in 1890, where the elder Ratte engaged in the real estate busi- ness. Mr. Ratte received a general educa- tion in the public schools of his native com- munity and later attended Cannons Com- mercial School. At an early age he left school and for a time worked as a mechanic. At the age of eighteen he became associ- ated with the A. E. Mack Agency, a busi- ness with which he has been identified since. During his career with this concern he has risen rapidly and shortly before the death of Mr. Mack on December 18, 1929, Mr. Ratte had assumed management of the business.
Since that time he has become sole owner of the agency and in this capacity has also acted as agent for the Ordway estates of Boston and Lawrence.
Though the major part of his interest has been devoted to this enterprise, Mr. Ratte has also found time to take an active part in the social and civic life of this city, and among the organizations he attends is the Y's Men's Club.
ALVIN E. MACK-Among the out- standing names in the history of Lawrence is that of Alvin E. Mack who, for over four decades, occupied a prominent place in the social, civic and business affairs of this community and through his active partici- pation held the office of mayor on three dif- ferent occasions. In pursuit of his duties he was one of the most respected men in Lawrence, and is credited with much of the progressive development the city experi- enced at the turn of the century.
Mr. Mack was born at Gungey, in the township of Lyme, Connecticut, April 13, 1839, the son of Ebenezer and Sophronia (Harding) Mack. During his youth he gained a general education at the district schools of Lyme and the Essex Academy in Essex, Connecticut. A short time after completing his education he taught school and then became a traveling representative for a publishing house covering the south- ern part of the United States. After devot- ing some time to this business he came to Lawrence and settled here in 1864, when he established the city's oldest insurance office at the old Bay State Building on Law- rence Street. Through his able direction his business grew to such an extent that he was soon purchasing other firms and had removed from his original site to the Cen- tral Building, a location he was to occupy for the remainder of his life.
Early in his career he demonstrated his interest in the city. About the time he came to Lawrence there was an influx of indus- trial pioneers who came here with the boom of industrial corporations. They were look- ing for homes and many turned to the dis- trict known as "Across the Spicket," in an effort to house themselves. Recognizing the plight of many unable to meet the fi- nancial demands of this section, Mr. Mack, then a local agent, communicated with a group of out-of-town agents who owned the property and later, by securing money from the banks here, made it possible for hun- dreds to secure land and homes. Accord- ing to press dispatches on this subject, it was said a few years before his death that the executive committee of the New Eng- land Insurance Exchange appreciated "the vast amount of work which he has given for the benefit of the insurance business in Lawrence, sometimes undoubtedly to his own detriment."
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The extent of his civic popularity is re- vealed in the fact that by 1888 the people of the community elected him mayor. On the strength of his accomplishments during his first term, they reelected him to succeed himself and again for a third term in 1893 he was chosen by the people to fill this post. In reviewing his administrations a local daily states :
His several administrations as mayor were marked with as excellent a showing as ever made by any mayor of Lawrence. His sound financial judgment, for which he was noted in business circles, he applied to the benefit of the city during those three years. He was always the bulwark to which men of high stand- ing in the community went to for advice, which he always gave.
He was one of the most respected men who ever held public office here, having given unstintingly of his time and efforts in aid of those who needed him. During his administration the sewerage system, then one of the conditions that needed a great deal of atten- tion, was improved to a large extent. The most nota- ble fact of it was the building of the Water Street sewer, which drained the lowlands of Ward Five, and was built during his last term. This period, which was the most active of his life, saw the dawn of great development for the city and he had been one of the principals in that group who looked only toward future prosperity.
The scope of his business and civic activi- ties was not limited to any one period or any one office as is graphically revealed in the fact that he also became a leading bank- ing authority here and in this capacity headed the Lawrence Savings Bank as president for a number of years. Further- more, he was a former president of the Lawrence Fire Underwriters Association and held the same office with the Insurance Underwriters Association, in addition to being an active supporter of the Lawrence Industrial Bureau. In his social affiliation Mr. Mack was the oldest living Mason in this city, having been a member of the Tuscan lodge, for over sixty-three years.
He worshipped at the Lawrence Street Congregational Church.
On November 16, 1871, Mr. Mack mar- ried Emma F. Durrell of Lawrence, and though they had no children they adopted a niece and a nephew of Mr. Mack and brought them up.
Mr. Mack died in his home in Lawrence, December 18, 1929. His passing was a pro- found shock to the community, where he had come to be regarded as one of the out- standing citizens and through his acts of kindness and sympathy won the admira- tion and respect of a host of friends in all walks of life. His career was one of full- ness, one of achievement and the contribu- tions he made to this city in his long and distinguished career stand as lasting tribute to his memory.
RAYMOND C. ALLEN-As civil engi- neer and public official, public-spirited citi- zen and war veteran, Raymond C. Allen, of Manchester, has been identified with the municipality and the State of Massachusetts. He was born in Manchester, August 28, 1877, a son of William H. and Mary F. (Gil- son) Allen, both of whom were also natives of the town. The Allen name and family traces back in this country to 1623, when the American progenitor was a member of the Dorchester Company, which settled in Gloucester, Massachusetts. He later located in Salem, and finally Manchester. William H. Allen was a carpenter and builder by trade, a selectman, and a member of the school committee of Manchester.
Raymond C. Allen attended the local schools and the Gloucester High School. He entered Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, from which he was graduated with the class of 1897, with the degree of Bachelor of Science. From college he estab- lished himself in Manchester as a civil engi-
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neer, a profession he has practiced in the town since that time except for the period of the World War. In the earlier years he was busy with municipal and estate develop- ments.
In 1917 Mr. Allen organized a local com- pany of the Massachusetts State Guard, in which he held the rank of lieutenant. With the entrance of the United States into the World War, he enlisted in the National service and was assigned to the Quarter- masters Corps and commissioned a captain. His known ability and training as a civil engineer was immediately made use of by sending him to assist in the construction of the Boston Army Base and the New Or- leans, Louisiana, Army Base. He was also utilized as utilities officer of the Boston Army Base during 1919 and 1920, and con- struction quartermaster of coast defenses of Boston. His honorable discharge was granted him in 1920 and at the present time, 1934, he is a lieutenant-colonel in the Re- serve Officers' Corps.
Among other public services of Mr. Allen are eighteen years' membership of the Man- chester school committee, and from 1906 to the present he has been moderator of the town meetings. In 1933 he was chairman of the planning board of the municipality. In 1910 he was elected to the State Legislature, and during 1925-26 he was secretary of the Metropolitan Water Supply Investigation Commission, for the Boston Metropolitan District. Raymond C. Allen is president of the Manchester Electric Company, a trustee of the Beverly Savings Bank, member of the American Society Civil Engineers, Society of Civil Engineers of Boston, New England Water Works Association, Massachusetts Highway Association, Military Order of the World War, Society of Military Engineers, and vice-president of the New England Chapter of the Quartermaster Association. He is a member of the Reserve Officers'
Association, American Legion, Essex Insti- tute, president of the Society for the Preser- vation of Natural Features of Essex County. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Sons of the American Revolution, the Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a member of the Manchester Club, Boston Club, Engineers' Club of Boston, Army and Navy Club, and the Boston-Rockport Country Club.
On October 12, 1907, Raymond C. Allen married Carrie E. Allen, of Manchester, and they have a son, Donald Gilson Allen, a member of the class of 1934 at Dartmouth College.
THOMAS A. LEES-Manager of the Manchester Electric Company, Thomas A. Lees was born in South Acton, Massachu- setts, July 22, 1885, and was the only son of Thomas and Margaret (MacArthur) Lees. Both parents now deceased.
Thomas A. Lees has always been engaged in the electrical field. After leaving school he entered the electric generating depart- ment of the old Boston and Northern Street Railway at Lowell, Massachusetts, and, in later years, was transferred to the southern division, known as the old Colony Street Railway, and was located at Quincy, Mas- sachusetts, as assistant superintendent of power statistics. In this position he had charge of the transmission system, extend- ing from Quincy to Fall River.
In 1916 Mr. Lees became manager of the Manchester Electric Company, a privately owned corporation furnishing light and power to Manchester.
Thomas A. Lees is a member of the Con- gregational Church, Manchester Lodge, An- cient Free and Accepted Masons, and the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also chairman of the school board and a member of the board of selectmen of Man- chester.
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Thomas A. Lees married (first), on Sep- tember 6, 1906, Eva Swann, of Lowell, Mas- sachusetts, who died on July 1, 1929. They were the parents of four children: I. Mar- garet S., a graduate of Sea Pines School and Katharine Gibbs School. 2. Wendell A., a student at Boston University. 3. H. Thomas, a student at Tilton School. 4. Roland F., who is attending high school. On October II, 1930, Mr. Lees married (second) Alice L. Rogers, of Manchester, and formerly of Brooklyn, New York.
EDWARD MORLEY-One of the native sons of Manchester, Massachusetts, who have remained in the town to contribute their quota to its advancement and prosper- ity is Edward Morley, attorney at law. He was born on January II, 1907, the son of Austin and Ellen (Craven) Morley. The elder Mr. Morley was born in Ireland, while the mother was born in Liverpool, England. In youth they came to the United States, where they were married and first located at Beverly Farms and Manchester, about 1902. Austin Morley became a successful contractor and prominent in local affairs. He is now deceased; Mrs. Morley is a resi- dent of Manchester.
Edward Morley was given the advantages of education in the local grade and high schools, and entered Harvard University, from which he was graduated in 1929 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. He then matriculated at the Harvard Law School, and received his Bachelor of Laws degree with the class of 1932. That same year he was admitted to the bar and began the practice of law in Manchester, and has so continued. He is a member of the Boston Bar Society and the Essex County Bar Association. Mr. Morley has taken an active and constructive interest in municipal affairs and is chairman of the NRA com-
mittee of the town; has served on various other town committees and in February, 1933, was elected town clerk of Manchester. He is also a member of the Manchester Club.
FOSTER H. PARKER-Since his com- ing to Beverly in 1927 Foster H. Parker has been engaged in the automobile business and actively interested in civic affairs. He was born in Medford, September 8, 1888, son of Edward H. and Laura Abbey (Fos- ter) Parker, both natives of this State. Ed- ward H. Parker, now deceased, was a mem- ber of Parker Brothers, manufacturers, of Salem.
Foster H. Parker received the prelimi- naries of his education in the schools of his birthplace and the Hackley School at Tarry- town, New York, from which he was gradu- ated in 1906. Matriculating at Harvard University, he was graduated with the class of 1910. His business career began with the Massachusetts Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Boston, which he later left to try his hand at farming in Maryland. Health rather than wealth was the result, and he removed to Salem to become associated with Parker Brothers of that city. In 1927 he located in Beverly, at which time he estab- lished an agency for the Chevrolet motor car, which he has since conducted. He has built up a large business and has taken his place among the business leaders of Beverly. Fraternally Mr. Parker affiliates with Essex Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, and Washington Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, at Salem, and is noted for his love of out-of- door sports-boating, golf and hunting.
On March 20, 1912, Foster H. Parker married Anna Merrill Pickering, of Salem, daughter of George W. and Ella (Wright) Pickering, and they are the parents of two children: Edward P., and Barbara W.
:
Hilliani H. Love.
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HON. WILLIAM H. GOVE-For many years the Hon. William H. Gove was an important and familiar figure in the life of Essex County. His earlier career was de- voted to the law and during this period he rose to prominence at the Salem bar. Sub- sequently, he was called upon to assume the presidency of the Lydia E. Pinkham Medi- cine Company at Lynn, directing its affairs with conspicuous success for two decades. He was an able, far-sighted and public- spirited man, whose activities both in pub- lic life and as a private citizen were of notable value to the Commonwealth.
Mr. Gove was born at South Berwick, Maine, on September 4, 1851, a son of Levi and Mary (Meader) Gove and a member of old New England families. In the paternal line, he was a direct descendant of John Gove, born in England in 1604, who came from London with his family to Charles- town, Massachusetts, in 1647, and is there of record as a purchaser of land in the same year. He died in 1648. Levi Gove, father of William H. Gove, was a farmer and car- penter. He was born in Weare, New Hamp- shire, and his wife, Mary (Meader) Gove, was born in Sandwich, New Hampshire.
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