USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume III > Part 9
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59
August 1, 1931, there was another change of name to the present title, Bradds, Inc., with the same executive officers. This is one of the genuine old concerns manufacturing shoes in Haverhill and employs a maximum of about one hundred and seventy-five; has over 25,000 square feet of floor space, oc- cupying six floors at No. 70 Washington Street ; and distributes its products through- out the United States.
Business has been the outstanding activ- ity in Mr. Bradley's life, absorbing so much of his time and attention that he has had little to give to other things. He has never neglected his duties and privileges as a sub- stantial citizen, although usually avoiding public office. He has been, however, both a member of the Haverhill common council and an alderman. Mr. Bradley is a respected figure in the Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Haverhill Historical Soci- ety and the Whittier Club. His religious affiliations are with the Baptist Church, and no worthy religious or welfare movement fails to receive his hearty support.
In 1888, Frank J. Bradley married Mary V. Yeaw, a native of Massachusetts, and they are the parents of two children: I. Everett Bradley, of Haverhill, a graduate of Harvard, for many years associated with his father, is treasurer of Bradds, Inc. 2. Marjorie E., who married George W. Lang- don, Jr., vice-president of Bradds, Inc.
DANIEL KIMBALL -- As a member of an old and distinguished New England family whose representatives have played important parts in the history and develop- ment of their surroundings, Daniel Kimball upheld the illustrious traditions of his fore- bears.
Mr. Kimball was born in Bradford, on March 15, 1807, the son of Samuel and Anna (Smith) Kimball, and grandson of Lieuten- ant Daniel and Elizabeth (Tenney) Kim-
56
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
ball, both natives of this State. Lieutenant Daniel Kimball was born in Bradford on June II, 1747, and died on August 19, 1800. He was active in the affairs of this town and during the Revolutionary War was appointed lieutenant in the 4th Company of the 3d Regiment, Essex County Division. In his civic affiliation he was town treasurer for a number of years and frequently served as a selectman. Lieutenant Kimball was drowned in the Merrimac River, leaving ten children to the care of his widow. She reared her family and obtained advanced educational advantages for some of them. Two of her sons, Daniel and David Tenney, were graduated from Harvard, Daniel be- coming a Unitarian minister and preached at Hingham and other places. David Ten- ney Kimball was a Congregational min- ister and was located at Ipswich for many years.
The Kimball family trace their American origin to Richard Kimball of Rattlesden, Suffolk County, England, who came to this country on the ship "Elizabeth," arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1634. With his family he proceeded to Watertown, where, for a number of years, he took an outstanding part in the affairs of that com- munity. Later, with his family, he removed to Ipswich where he successfully practiced his. trade as a wheelwright. Throughout the ensuing generations we find members of this family holding important and responsi- ble positions in their surroundings.
Daniel Kimball, of this review, received a general education in the public schools of his native community and began his busi- ness career in the shoe and leather trade in Boston, where he successfully conducted his business at No. 67 Kilby Street.
Ever aware of his civic and social respon- sibilities he took a keen and active interest in the affairs of Haverhill and Bradford, where he resided and in this connection
wielded a good influence. In politics he was a Republican and though he was an active member of this organization he never sought office. He was a prominent mem- ber of the Congregational Church of Brad- ford and was one of the institution's most ardent supporters.
On June 19, 1838, Mr. Kimball married Charlotte Chandler Tenney, who was born January 22, 1815, and died February 12, 1907, at the advanced age of ninety-two years. She was the daughter of James Chandler and Charlotte (Peabody) Tenney, both members of old and distinguished fam- ilies in this community. Her father, who was born in May, 1789, and died at the age of twenty-six years, was in the shoe manu- facturing business. Her mother was born in Bradford on May 19, 1791, and passed away there on June 28, 1923. At her pass- ing Mrs. Kimball was the oldest alumnae of Bradford Academy, having been awarded a diploma from that institution in 1842, the first year such a certificate had been granted by the school. Before she was the recipient of this document she taught Latin and mathematics in the academy, the former subject from 1834 to 1836. Throughout her life she maintained a keen interest in her alma mater and frequently visited the school as a guest of honor in later years. Mr. and Mrs. Kimball were the parents of six chil- dren, two of whom survive: I. Charlotte Peabody, a graduate of Bradford Academy, where she taught music. She married John Howard Nichols, a native of Kingston, New Hampshire, and treasurer of both the Dwight Manufacturing Company and the Great Falls Manufacturing Company. They were the parents of four children : i. How- ard Gardner, deceased, who was agent for the Dwight Manufacturing Company at Alabama City, Alabama. ii. Eleanor Hun- newell, who is a graduate of Smith College in 1895. iii. Grace. iv. Charlotte, who mar-
57
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
ried Edward Farnham Green. 2. Edgar Leroy, the next child of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Kimball, was a graduate of Phillips Academy, studied law in the office of Albert Kittredge of Haverhill, and with Lyman Mason at Boston. He was admitted to the Suffolk County bar and practiced until his death. 3. Katherine Anna, who died in her forty-fourth year. 4. Alice Carleton, who died young. 5. Eleanor Hill, who is a grad- uate of Bradford Academy and a member of many societies in this vicinity, including the New England Society for the Preserva- tion of Antiquities, in which she holds a life membership ; a life member of the Hav- erhill Historical Society ; the St. Augustine (Florida) Historical Society, and a mem- ber of the Essex Institute at Salem, Massa- chusetts. For nineteen years she has been historian for the local chapter of the Daugh- ters of the American Revolution, and also belongs to the Haverhill City Club, the Whittier Association, and several other leading organizations in this city, where she has taken an outstanding part in civic and social affairs. 5. Grace Haseltine, who is also a member of many societies and or- ganizations in this city. For a number of years she has made a hobby of trees and has spent much time and money for their pres- ervation. Some of the trees on the large estate in Bradford, which she and her sister occupy, are over one hundred years old. Wherever she goes Grace Haseltine Kim- ball is busily encouraging the planting and care of trees.
Mr. Daniel Kimball died at his home in Bradford on December 28, 1879. His death deprived Haverhill of the services of an- other distinguished member of the Kimball family who had nobly maintained the ideals of his forefathers. His passing will not cause him to be forgotten, however. His life and career will continue in the memory of many who count him an example of citizen- ship that might well be followed.
JUDGE CHARLES A. MURPHY-A versatile judge is Hon. Charles A. Murphy, of Salem, who is as well if not better known for the excellence of his paintings in oil as for the fine record he has achieved as special justice of the First District Court of Essex. From the ofttimes seamy side of court pro- ceedings he seeks release when possible in the use of brush, palette and canvas in de- picting landscapes, seascapes and other sub- jects from his art and imagination. His work on the bench speaks for itself, and the same may be said for his works of art, many of which have won acclaim from art lovers, connoisseurs and judges in exhibits that have had a wide showing.
Judge Murphy is of pure Irish stock. Both his parents came from their native Ireland in their youth. His father, John Murphy, as did all his brothers, served in the Civil War and afterwards followed the trade of shoemaker of the old-fashioned type. He married Mary Farrell and they lived in Salem.
Charles A. Murphy, son of John and Mary (Farrell) Murphy, was born in Salem, Essex County, August 2, 1874, and attended the grade and high schools of the city. He afterwards studied at Boston College and at Epiphany College, Baltimore, Maryland. For some time he had desired to prepare himself for the legal profession, and to this end he pursued his studies alone, picking up the principal points of procedure, using pon- derous law books as practically his only preceptor. He was admitted to the Massa- chusetts bar and has practiced law in his own name for thirty-five years. In 1921 he was appointed to the bench by Governor Channing H. Cox and since has held the office of special justice of the First District Court of Essex. He is a member of the Massachusetts Bar Association. In the city of Salem he has served as a member of the board of license commissioners. During the World War period he was a member of the
58
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
War Board Advisory Council, a member of the Draft Appeal Board for Salem, and served as attorney for soldiers and sailors.
It was about the time of the World War that Judge Murphy began to interest him- self in the study of art. As he did with regard to the law, so he did in his work on the canvas-without a master he gave free rein to his lively and resourceful imagina- tion and developed his art in private. When asked his reason for choosing painting as his chief diversion, if it may be called that, he said: "I see enough of the troublesome side of life in court, and to relieve my mind I use every spare hour available with my brush and canvas in order to find something of the beautiful."
The artist-judge is intensely interested in rousing the interest of school children in his work ; in fact, he prefers this to the interest manifested by adults. On this point he says :
More consideration should be given to the teaching of art in our schools, as there is no subject that will bring out and develop more the minds of our youth toward a sturdy love of the beauties of our country.
This will aid materially in the promotion of good citizenship. It will create a more profound respect for the beautiful works of God and nature, which are the only things worth while in life. Even in these troublous times, art offers hope and happiness to the people. Proof of this is seen in the increased number of readers in our libraries, also the greater attendance at art museums and galleries. As a special invitation to school children I hope they will view the exhibit, and I trust it will aid in increasing their interest in art.
It is significant, as has been indicated above, that Judge Murphy is purely a self- taught artist and that he took up the work because of his love of it. He never attended an art school but his subjects have won the admiration of Salem folk and many more besides. What is declared to be his most recent success is his "Deep Sea," which was selected in 1931 by the College Art Association of New York to be sent on a
tour of the art galleries of the country. In an exhibition held in a Salem mercantile establishment this subject, chosen from a group of four hundred paintings of merit, occupied the leading position. To his repu- tation as an artist of power and technique has been added his "Rugged Mountains," which was voted by a special poll of Glouces- ter school students as being the most out- standing canvas in an exhibition held on Cape Ann, under the auspices of the Glouces- ter Society of Artists, in 1930. "Rugged Mountains" now hangs on the walls of the Westfield home of Governor Joseph B. Ely, who is an acquaintance of Judge Murphy of many years' standing.
For the May, 1933, exhibition held in Salem an entire show window section was set aside for the showing of the judge's pictures. It was the first public view of paintings by this Salem jurist in his home city. In the group of six subjects, besides "Deep Sea," were "New England Hills," "Maine Coast," "Peaceful Pond," "The Lone Birch," and "Mirror Lake." An observer- critic, commenting on the exhibit, said that "passersby marveled at the brilliance of color in the judge's work. The contrast of the sunlight and the mountains is exceptional. The foliage in the pictures is strongly ex- ecuted and the rugged peaks and rocky por- tions of the pictures immediately suggest hardiness through the use of color and tech- nique. The pictures seem to sparkle in their clear color and they promote thoughts of living things in all their brilliance. Cloud effects are most realistic, water is painted in most true color, and in all of the paintings there is a feeling of vastness as if the gaze were covering a great area at one glance." He has shared his pleasure of producing his works with others, among whom are, besides Governor Ely, former Governor Channing H. Cox, superior, probate and district court
59
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
judges, associates and friends, of whom he has a large following.
Always a studio artist, Judge Murphy has never done any outdoor work as a painter. His paintings are his own creations, and all are purely imaginative-this is his school. Throughout life he has been an ardent lover of nature in all her moods; even when a young law student he would take his books and read amid favorable solitudes, where he might also commune with nature, drawing from her strength of mind and body and inspiration. He is extremely happy in his work and for the fact of the interest that it creates among those who appreciate his
art. Additional exhibitions in which his works were shown in 1933 were those held at Miami, Florida; the Ogunquit Art Cen- ter in Maine, and the summer showing at the Gloucester Society of Artists. Thus the works of the judge speak for themselves ; he rarely discusses the subject of his art unless formally approached by an inter- viewer.
Judge Charles A. Murphy married, June 14, 1900, Mary Brown Kenneally, of Salem. and they have three daughters : I. Madeline, married John Lane, of Salem. 2. Mary Pauline, married Carroll S. Parker, of Spring- field, Hampden County. 3. Gertrude C.
JOSIAH HAYWARD GIFFORD- Josiah Hayward Gifford's life has been de- voted to the welfare and advancement of the city of Salem, where as a youth he was edu- cated in its institutions and since that time has worked and advanced himself until to- day he occupies one of the most important positions in the community as president of the Merchants National Bank.
Mr. Gifford was born in Salem on May 13. 1874, the son of Rufus Babcock and Sarah Elizabeth (Hayward) Gifford. His father, who was a native of the State, was engaged in the contracting business. Mr. Gifford re-
ceived his general education in the public schools of Salem and upon graduating from high school became associated with the Salem Electric Lighting Company remain- ing with this concern until 1902 when he was elected cashier of the Merchants Na- tional Bank in October of that year. In 1919 he was elected vice-president of the bank and in January, 1930, became its pres- ident.
Throughout his career he has shown an active interest in the social and civic life of this community, being a vice-president of the Home for Aged and Destitute Women of Salem, a trustee for the Harmony Grove Cemetery, treasurer for the North Shore Babies Hospital, trustee for the Pelham Trust of Boston, treasurer for the Salem branch of the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, treasurer for the Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds of the city of Salem, treasurer for the Hamilton and Wenham branch of the Amer- ican Red Cross and trustee for several estates. He is also a member of the Salem Country Club and belongs to the First ( Uni- tarian) Congregational Society, holding a trusteeship in this institution.
Mr. Gifford was married in Lynn, Mas- sachusetts, on June 14, 1899, to Louise Breed Haddock. daughter of Charles Henry and Rachel Breed Haddock.
JAMES YOUNG, JR .- To the Salem Savings Bank, of which James Young. Jr .. is the thirteenth successive president, be- longs the prestige of being the second oldest incorporated savings bank in America. It was established within seven years of the organization of the first incorporated sav- ings bank in the world. the Provident Insti- tution for Savings in Boston.
The petition for the incorporation of the Salem Savings Bank (then styled "The In- stitution for Savings in the Town of Salem
60
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
and its Vicinity") was presented to the Mas- sachusetts General Court under date of Jan- uary 7, 1818, and the act was passed without opposition. The charter, one of the first granted in America, contains eight sections setting forth the rules under which the insti- tution shall be governed. The first meeting of the corporation was held March 12, 1818, in the building formerly located on a part of the site of the present Downing Block in Essex Street, Salem. This building even- tually became the second home of the bank. The first officers and trustees were: Pres- ident, Dr. Edward Augustus Holyoke; vice- presidents, Joseph White, Joseph Peabody, Benjamin Pickman, Jr., Joseph Story, Jacob Ashton, Moses Townsend; treasurer, Wil- liam P. Richardson; secretary, John W. Treadwell; trustees, the president and vice- presidents, and John Osgood, Willard Peele, Stephen Phillips, Jonathan Hodges, Dudley L. Pickman, Stephen White, William Fetty- place, Gideon Tucker, William P. Richard- son, John W. Treadwell, Nathan Robinson, William Silsbee, Gideon Barstow, Pickering Dodge, Humphrey Devereux, Ebenezer Secomb. The incorporators in the first group were substantial men of Salem, Mar- blehead, Beverly, Danvers, and Lynn, among whom there were a goodly number of clergy- men, who earnestly favored the enterprise. Dr. Holyoke, the first president, was in office twelve years, 1818-29. The eldest son of President Holyoke of Harvard College, he practiced medicine in Salem for more than eighty years, having been the first to receive the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Har- vard, which institution later made him an honorary Doctor of Laws. He died March 31, 1829, at the age of one hundred years and nearly eight months.
The Salem Savings Bank opened for busi- ness April 15, 1818, in the Old Custom House at the head of Market (now Central) Street. The bank was open one day a week
for one hour. The first deposit was of one hundred dollars, and was made by Nathan Robinson for Rebecca Sutton, widow. The book for this account is now a prized relic of the bank. At the end of six months the treasurer, William P. Richardson, reported one hundred and eighty-four depositors and the total of depositors' credits was $26,254. The number of depositors and volume of receipts showed a steady increase in suc- ceeding years.
In 1830 Joseph Peabody was elected pres- ident of the bank and served in this capacity until 1844. He was a sailing master, ship- builder and international merchant, who ranked as one of the greatest merchants that Salem ever had. During the course of his career he built eighty-three vessels and shipped not less than seven thousand sea- men. His vessels made thirty-eight voyages to Calcutta, seventeen to Canton, thirty-two to Sumatra, forty-seven to St. Petersburg (Leningrad), besides numerous voyages to the north of Europe, the Mediterranean, West Indies, the Spanish Main and along the Atlantic Coast. He died in 1844, leaving perhaps the greatest fortune ever left in Salem. It was during his presidency that the name of the bank was changed to the present style, as the old name was both cum- bersome and obsolete.
Nathaniel Silsbee was elected the third president of the bank in 1844. After con- siderable experience in various parts of the world as seaman, ship-owner and comman- der, he abandoned the sea and became a banker in Boston, Philadelphia and Salem. He was a member of the committee which received President James Monroe in Salem. From 1823 until 1825 he was president of the Massachusetts Senate; in November, 1818, he was elected to Congress, and he was a member of the United States Senate from 1826 to 1835. He was president of the Salem Savings Bank until 1851.
61
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
He was succeeded by Daniel A. White, the fourth to hold the office of president. A graduate of Harvard, Mr. White became successively a school-teacher, tutor, lawyer, and probate judge for Essex County, mem- ber of Congress and president of learned and cultural organizations. One of the found- ers of the Theological School of Cambridge, he also served as an overseer of Harvard College for twelve years.
Zachariah Fowle Silsbee, a brother of Na- thaniel, succeeded Judge White as president of the bank in 1861, holding the office but little more than three years. He was a ship- master before he was thirty, and, like his brothers, he retired to take up interests that kept them for the most part in Salem for the rest of their lives. He was director of an- other bank and of a manufacturing corpora- tion.
Captain John Bertram, in 1864, was chosen the sixth president of the Salem Savings Bank. A master seaman, he afterwards served on a privateer in the War of 1812, was captured and confined in a prison ship. After his release he again was taken prisoner and carried to England, where he arrived after peace had been declared. In 1848 he sent one of the first vessels to California after the news had reached the East of the discovery of gold there. He retired from the presidency of the bank in 1865. He died in 1882, leaving thousands of dollars to various charities in which he had been interested. In 1855 the bank moved to its present location in what then was known as the Asiatic Building in Washington Street.
Joseph S. Cabot, mayor of Salem from 1845 to 1848, was elected the seventh pres- ident of the bank in 1865, serving until 1874. In 1871 the bank purchased the building where it then had its quarters. Mr. Cabot was at one time president of the Asiatic Bank and of the Massachusetts Horticul-
tural Society. The savings bank had weath- ered a panic and other financial disarrange- ments well, and in June, 1866, it had total assets of $2,876,000, an increase during that year of $247,000. At that time it had re- covered its former standing as to amount on deposit, and the sum has continued to in- crease without interruption.
Benjamin Hodges Silsbee, a nephew of Nathaniel Silsbee, succeeded Joseph S. Cabot as president in 1875, holding office until 1879. On either side of his family he was de- scended from successful pioneers of Amer- ican commerce. A graduate of Harvard, he numbered among his classmates J. L. Mot- ley and Wendell Phillips. He was the last president of the East India Marine Society, having succeeded his grandfather, Benjamin Hodges, who was the first president. He was heavily interested in various manufac- turing enterprises.
Captain Peter Silver, ninth president of the Salem Savings Bank, took office in 1879, serving until his death in 1883. He made many voyages in the interest of the East India trade. In 1841, on returning from Canton he came across a dismantled ship, having on board one hundred and forty pas- sengers. He supplied the ship with various necessities, including sails and provisions, took on board a number of the passengers, landed them safely and received as a grate- ful mark of their appreciation a silver pitcher while the mates were each given a silver cup, and the member of the crew purses of money. At another time he rescued a woman from mutineers and brought her safely to the Dutch authorities at Batavia. After his retirement from the sea, he served at differ- ent times as a member of the first Water Board of Salem, on the Board of Aldermen and as Master of the Salem Marine Society, whose membership was exclusively sea cap- tains.
62
THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
He was succeeded in the presidency of the Salem Savings Bank by William Northey, elected in 1883, retired in 1893. All his life he was interested in the insurance business. He was president of the Salem Marine In- surance Company, builder of the Northey Block at Washington and Essex streets, a member of the Salem Atheneum and the Essex Institute, and a director of the Mer- chants National Bank. He died in 1900.
His successor was Edward D. Ropes, the eleventh to hold office as executive head of the Salem Savings Bank, serving from 1893 to 1902. His mother was the daughter of Captain James Silver. One of his early posi- tions as a young man was as clerk in the office of Captain John Bertram. During his association with Captain Bertram, he sailed in one of the Bertram ships to Zanzibar, where he remained a number of years, re- turning occasionally to America. For a part of this time he served as United States con- sul. On his return to the United States to remain permanently, at the beginning of the Civil War, he obtained an appointment as paymaster's clerk in the United States Army. On the death of Captain Bertram, Mr. Ropes was made a member of the firm, the new style being Ropes, Emmerton and Company. This firm did an extremely large business, including an extensive African trade that had been established by Captain Bertram. Mr. Ropes served as a member of the Salem Common Council from 1876 until 1888. He was a member of the Salem Marine and of the East India Marine societies, a director of the Asiatic National Bank, a trustee of the Bertram Home for Aged Men and of the Salem Hospital. He died in 1902.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.