USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume IV > Part 24
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Dr. Twomey is widely known in Lynn for his interest in many subjects aside from his profession, an interest that he has con- tinued since he was a student at Boston Col- lege and was awarded numerous prizes for his work in psychology, ethics, philosophy and political economy, and was the college speaker at the graduation exercises. He is a member of the Lynn Medical Fraternity ; the American Medical Association ; serves on the Lynn Hospital Surgical staff. He attends St. John's Roman Catholic Church, of Swampscott, and is a member of the Knights of Columbus, holding the third de- gree.
On November 12, 1927, Charles Francis Twomey, M. D., married Lillian E. Staples, a native of Colebrook, New Hampshire, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Staples, of Pittsfield, Maine. Her father is asso- ciated with the Maine Central Railroad.
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Mrs. Twomey is a graduate of Maine Cen- tral Institute of Pittsfield, and of the Carney Hospital School of Nursing ; also is a mem- ber of St. John's Roman Catholic Church, of Swampscott.
CHARLES D. PORTER-Since 1897 Charles D. Porter has been associated with the D. D. Chase Lumber Company, of Haver- hill, one of the oldest and largest lumber con- cerns in Essex County. As secretary and treasurer of the company he has been active in the direction of its affairs, while his many civic connections have led to the wide exten- sion of his interests in the general life of the city.
Mr. Porter was born in Haverhill on Au- gust 22, 1863, a son of Dudley and Susan (Goodrich) Porter. His father, a manufac- turer, died in 1905, his mother in 1900. Charles D. Porter received his preliminary education in the public schools of Haverhill and subsequently entered Harvard College, from which he was graduated in 1886, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In the fall of the same year he went to Berlin Falls, New Hampshire, where his father was part owner of a paper mill, and was appointed to the posi- tion of paymaster of the mill. Later he served as company representative in various parts of New England. Relinquishing this connection after a number of years, Mr. Porter made a long trip abroad, visiting many parts of Eu- rope. On his return to the United States, he became associated with Charles H. Croy, in 1897, as a partner in the lumber business of D. D. Chase, who had established this enter- prise at Haverhill in 1837. The company was incorporated in 1905 under the name of the D. D. Chase Lumber Company with C. H. Croy as president and Charles D. Porter as secretary and treasurer. Mr. Coy served as president until his death on February 15, 1933. Mr. Porter still holds the offices of secretary and treasurer and Henry L. Stone, son-in-law
of Mr. Croy, is now president and manager of the company. This concern carries on a wholesale and retail lumber business. It has been in existence for almost a hundred years and is one of the best known organizations of its kind in the State north of Boston.
In addition to his connection with the D. D. Chase Lumber Company, Mr. Porter is a trustee of the Haverhill Savings Bank. He served actively during the World War period in the various Liberty Loan and Red Cross drives and is now chairman of the Haverhill Park Commission, a trustee of the Public Li- brary and president of the board of trustees of the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead .. For some years he has been vice-president of the Haverhill Historical Society. Mr. Porter is also a member of the Pentucket Club, the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, the Haver- hill Country Club, and the University Club, the Harvard Club and the St. Botolph Club, of Boston. During his long residence at Ha- verhill he has been actively connected with many enterprises for the benefit of the city and is both a familiar and important figure in its life.
JAMES HAROLD GILLEN, president of the firm of Crosby and Gillen, manufac- turers of cut soles in Lynn, Massachusetts, has had a broad and varied experience in the cut sole industry which dates back to his youth when he became associated with and represented some of the leading manufac- turers in this business. In pursuit of this career he has been identified with the busi- ness, social and civic affairs here.
Mr. Gillen was born in Bradford, Massa- chusetts, now Haverhill, on September 5. 1891, the son of Albert L. and Anne (Allen) Gillen. His father, who has retired and lives in Merrimac, was born in Andover, the son of James and Jennette (Duncan) Gillen. James, who was in the real estate business in Andover was a native of Scotland, and his
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wife of Haverhill. Anne (Allen) Gillen, mother of Mr. Gillen, of this review, was the daughter of David and Lydia (Durkee) Allen, both natives of Nova Scotia, where her father engaged in farming. The Allen family in the United States took an active part in the Revolutionary War.
Mr. Gillen received a general education in the public schools of Haverhill and after graduating from high school, became asso- ciated with the Boston and Maine Railroad as a yard clerk. He remained in this posi- tion for a time but left to enter the cut sole leather business with the firm of Ellis and Hussey, maintaining his connection here for three years, when he joined Charles L. Stevens and Company of Haverhill as a traveling representative. When the United States entered the World War in 1917, Mr. Gillen resigned his position and enlisted in the United States Army, becoming a mem- ber of 14th Engineers in Boston, a unit which was trained in Brockingham Park at Salem, New Hampshire, and was the first American detachment to land in England where it was reviewed by King George. Shortly after arriving in England the 14th Engineers was attached to the 6th Corps British Army under command of General Byng and sent to France where they saw their first action on the Arras front defend- ing this area against the German drive which started March 21, 1918. The follow- ing August their regiment was transferred to the American front and took part in the Aisne-Marne, St. Mihiel, Meuse-Argonne and other offensives. In April, 1919. he sailed for the United States from Bordeaux, and was honorably discharged from the serv- ice at Camp Devens, Massachusetts, in May of the same year.
He resumed his affiliations with Charles L. Stevens and Company of Haverhill, and remained with this concern until 1928, when
he came to Lynn to form the company of Crosby and Gillen, which he now heads as president.
In the social life of his surroundings he has taken an active interest in the Masonic Order where he is a member of Saggahew Lodge of Haverhill; Pentucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Haverhill Council of Royal and Select Masters; Haverhill Com- mandery, and the Knights Templar. In poli- tics he is a Republican and he worships at the First Congregational Church of Swamp- scott. His principal diversion is fishing.
On April 22, 1922, Mr. Gillen married Helen Evans, a native of Haverhill and a graduate of Hale Hospital in this commu- nity. She is a member of the Swampscott Women's Club and the Church Guild. Mr. and Mrs. Gillen are the parents of three children: I. Robert Allen, born February 22, 1923. 2. Edward Duncan, born March 9, 1925. 3. James Harold, born May 23, 1927.
LUTHER WITHAM-The life and distin- guished career of Luther Witham reflects a characteristic perseverance and vision which coupled with ambition has made him one of the outstanding caterers in Essex County. His broad and varied activities in the gro- cery field date back to his boyhood when as a youth of thirteen he established his first store and exhibited a business philosophy so basicly sound that he has followed it since : namely to seek trade through attaining good will among customers by offering them the finest services at his disposal. Initiating this precept through a door to door canvass during the very early days of his career, he has developed his business to such an extent that today he is in a position to satisfy the most meticulous tastes and desires. His long association with the business, social and civic interests of the city of Lynn, has caused him to be known as one of the public-
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spirited citizens here and in this connection he has become identified with the leading organizations of the community.
Mr. Witham was born in Lynn, Massa- chusetts, June 9, 1887, the son of Charles W. and Margaret (Stevens) Witham. His father who was a mason and contractor and prom- inent in the civic affairs of this community, was born in Rockport, Massachusetts, July II, 1854, the son of Elbridge Witham, who was a blacksmith and also a native of Rock- port, Massachusetts. Margaret (Stevens) Witham, mother of Mr. Witham, was born in Rockport, Massachusetts, May 25, 1860, the daughter of Andrew Stevens, a native of this community and fisherman who followed the sea throughout his life.
Mr. Witham received a general education in the public schools until he was thirteen years old when, with only twenty dollars capital, he embarked on his career in the retail grocery business, opening his first store at No. 16 Milton Street, in Lynn. It was during this time that he built up trade by soliciting from door to door, taking orders and being generally useful to the customers he made. Nine years later he had advanced to the point where he could pur- chase a larger business site and with the surplus capital he had acquired, bought the grocery interests of an establishment located at No. 58 Glenwood Street in this city. Here- mained here until 1918, when he acquired the Pinkham grocery business which has been operating at Nos. 441-447 Chatham Street where he is located today. His business con- tinued to grow and prosper and in 1921 he expanded his activities into the baking and catering business in addition to his grocery trade. His success has also enabled him to make improvements on the building he owns and today he is the landlord of four apart- ments over his store.
The catering branch of the business has been in such demand that Mr. Witham is
giving it his entire time and he has turned the management of his grocery interests over to his son Elbert Luther. His standing in the grocery world is vividly reflected in an anecdote printed in the July, 1932, issue of the "Grocers Magazine" (Boston), which says :
Mr. Witham has long enjoyed the esteem and friendship of his fellow-grocers in Lynn. He relates that when he was about seventeen a credit man for one of the large packing houses criticised the local manager for giving him so much credit, especially after he found out that it would be quite a while before he would be of age. The local manager's reply was that he only wished he could sell the young man still more.
Throughout his life in Lynn he has taken a very active part in the social and civic affairs of the community being a trustee of the Lynn Library from 1924 and 1926, a trustee of St. Luke's Methodist Episcopal Church, and holding membership in the Kiwanis Club of Lynn, the Lynn Chamber of Commerce, the Appalachian Mountain Club of Boston, the Young Men's Christian Association of Lynn, the Ionic Club of Swampscott, and the Wholesale Grocers Association. He fraternizes with the Da- mascus Lodge of the Masonic Order, and is a member of the Sutton Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. He belongs to the East Lynn Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Winnepurkit Tribe, No. 55, of the Improved Order of Red Men, and is a member of the Paul Revere Lodge, Knights of Pythias.
On November 26, 1908, in the city of Lynn, Mr. Witham married Harriet Mansur, native of Weymouth, Nova Scotia, and daughter of Charles and Pauline (Banks) Mansur. Mr. and Mrs. Witham are the parents of three sons and a daughter: I. Elbridge Luther, born November 21, 1909, graduate of the Lynn English High School and today manager of Witham's Market.
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2. Charles Edward, born April 17, 19II, graduate of Lynn Classical High School and the Bryant Stratton Business College. While in high school he was an outstanding athlete, being a member of the 'varsity football team. At present he is associated with his father in the catering business. He married Doris Montrose of Lynn. 3. Robert Mansur, born December 9, 1913, graduate of Lynn Classi- cal High School, where he was a prominent athlete. At present he is a student at the University of Pennsylvania. 4. Pauline M., born April 21, 1917, student at Lynn Eng- lish High School with the class of 1935.
WILLIAM LEO WINSTON, the well- known insurance man of Lynn, Massachu- setts, was born in this city May 10, 1891, son of Michael F. and Ellen (Birmingham) Winston. Michael F. Winston was born in County Mayo, Ireland, in 1857 and died in Lynn, December 7, 1927, aged seventy years. Formerly he was an undertaker in Lynn, but at the time of his death was in charge of Soldiers' Aid and State Aid and Soldiers' Relief. He was Past Exalted Ruler of Lynn Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and Past Grand Knight of Council Val- ladolid, Knights of Columbus. A member of St. Pius Roman Catholic Church, he was president of the N. E. A. A. U. for eighteen years and traveled extensively, and was pres- ident of St. Joseph's C. T. A. Society of Lynn. Mrs. Winston was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, in 1858, and died in Lynn, October 3, 1923.
After being a student in the Lynn public schools and graduated from St. Joseph's In- stitute in 1906, William Leo Winston spent three years in the Lynn English High School, leaving to become identified with Walsh Brothers, opticians and optometrists. For ten years he was in charge of the mechani- cal business of this firm, remaining until he enlisted for service in the United States
Army in the World War. He volunteered on Friday, July 13, 1917, in Boston, and was assigned to Syracuse, New York, for train- ing. The training was unusually brief, slightly over a month, before he became a member of the American Expeditionary Forces and was sent overseas, landing at St. Nazaire, France, with Company K, 23d Infantry, from whence, on the third day, he was moved on to Goncourt, France, where he remained in training three months. Then to Mehuen where the troop built a railroad and remained two months, then back to Goncourt for further training. He was sent into the first lines March 17, 1918, and served for seven months in different sectors until he was sent to the hospital bordering on a nervous breakdown. After three months he was sent to a convalescent camp at Medes-Bulcy where he served as acting mess sergeant, remaining here until March 15, 1919. He was honorably discharged from Camp Devens, Massachusetts, April 3, 1919. William Leo and his brother, Edward A. Winston, were among the first to enlist for service from Lynn, and two other brothers, Francis J. and Charles A. Winston, also en- listed and saw active service in France.
Upon his return to civilian life, William Leo Winston resumed his connection with Walsh Brothers for eighteen months. In the meanwhile he took courses at the Mas- sachusetts School of Anatomy and Embalm- ing in Boston and passed the examinations of the State Board of Registration and Em- balming, and became associated with Her- man Parker of Lynn, for two years as em- balmer. He then entered the insurance and real estate business at No. 333 Union Street, where, during five years, he handled all kinds of insurance, except life. He then went with the Twin Mutual Insurance Com- pany of Boston as district manager for the Lynn territory, serving from 1926 to 1931. In the latter year he went into the general
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insurance business under his own name, locating at No. 25 Central Square, where he has remained to the present time.
Mr. Winston is a member of Post No. 6, American Legion, the City Democratic Com- mittee, the St. Pius Men's Club, and St. Pius Catholic Church. He plays golf, enjoys attending sports events, and is keenly inter- ested in the advancement and prosperity of Lynn.
On April 18, 1929, William Leo Winston married Alice M. Black, native of Glouces- ter, Massachusetts, and daughter of Edwin G. and Ada (Johnson) Black. Edwin G. Black was born in Maine, August II, 1876, now living in Lynn, engaged as a boat builder. Mrs. Black was born August 27, 1881, in Gloucester, and now lives in Lynn. Mrs. Winston was educated in the public schools of Marblehead and Gloucester, a graduate of Swampscott High School, and now serves as her husband's secretary. Mr. and Mrs. Winston are the parents of two children : William Leo, Jr., born June 17, 1930, and Patricia Ann, born March 30, 1932.
IRA CHASE TITCOMB-Member of a family long settled in the eastern section of Massachusetts, Ira C. Titcomb is also promi- nent in business affairs of Haverhill, where he is manager of the shipping department and a director of the corporation of the Leslie Dry Goods Company. This store is one of the largest in the mercantile trade in the State out- side of Boston and his responsibilities are heavy. In the Masonic fraternity he occu- pies high stations, having passed through the Lodge of Perfection and the Grand Council of Massachusetts.
Mr. Titcomb's father, Thomas P. Titcomb, according to family data, was descended from forebears who settled in Massachusetts Bay Colony at an early date. He was an infantry- man in the Civil War and was wounded in action. Afterwards he engaged in the team-
ing and expressing business until his death, which occurred in 1894. He married Sarah E. Colby, a native, as was her husband, of Newburyport. She died in 1913.
Ira C. Titcomb, son of Thomas P. and Sarah E. (Colby) Titcomb, was born in Ha- verhill, November 30, 1858, and received his education in the local public schools, conclud- ing with a course in high school. After graduation he entered the employ of the Le- Bosquet Brothers Plumbing, Heating and Ventilating Company, and was in their service nineteen years, working in various capacities. In 1898 he resigned his position there to take charge of a department in the Leslie Dry Goods Company store, now one of the most important stores in its line in this part of the State. He worked his way upward and eventually was made a member of the board of directors. Following the death of Perley Leslie, founder and president of the company, the official board was reorganized, and Mr. Titcomb was elected clerk of the corporation, being retained as a director also. His record of thirty-five years or more in association with the company is the longest of any person connected with the establishment, and he is also the oldest as to age.
As second lieutenant of Company F in the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia (National Guard) he served twelve years. He has held many offices in fraternal organizations and is a Past Master of the Saggahew Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, in which he was raised in 1903; a Past High Priest of Pentucket Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Past Thrice Illustrious Commander, Haverhill Command- ery, Knights Templar; Past Commander of Haverhill Council, Royal and Select Masters ; Past Master of the Lodge of Perfection; Sen- ior Warden of the Princes of Jerusalem ; Past Deputy Grand Master of the Grand Council of the State of Massachusetts; a member of the Council of Deliberation; Massachusetts Consistory, thirty-second degree, and a life
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La 6. Ttcamb.
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member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. He is also a member of Mizpah Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and the Odd Fellows' Mutual Relief Association. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce of Haverhill, secretary of the Society of Early Settlers of Newburyport, and a member of the Haverhill Historical Society. His religious fellowship is with the Trinity Episcopal Church of Haverhill.
Mr. Titcomb married, in 1894, Addie M. Fitts, of Sandown, Rockingham County, New Hampshire. They have their residence at No. 142 Groveland Street.
EDWARD MARTIN WINSLOW was born at Lynn, July 6, 1893, a son of Louis Martin and Lucy (Hovey) Winslow. His mother was born at Boxford, and died at Lynn. His father was born at Norwood, January 19, 1865, and died at Peabody Hos- pital, April 22, 1919, as the result of an auto- mobile accident. He and J. C. Benz had organized the Benz Kid Company in 1906, of which Mr. Winslow was elected treas- urer. The company became the largest firm of its kind in Essex County, and one of the six largest of its kind in the world.
The Winslow family has been long en- gaged in the leather business, being one of the earliest families in this industry in America. It is said that the first cattle brought into America were landed at Plym- outh Rock in 1624, by Edward Winslow, who, like all cattle owners of his day, tanned the hides. Since that time and from that small beginning, the Winslows have been leather manufacturers; the firm of Winslow Brothers and Smith, leather man- ufacturers of Norwood and Boston, being of this family.
Louis Martin Winslow was vice-president of the Lynn Safe Deposit and Trust Com- pany, and president of the Lynn Storage
and Warehouse Company. He was a mem- ber of the Universalist Church, and a Re- publican in politics. He was a son of John Martin and Martha (Hartshorn) Winslow, both born in Massachusetts, and both died at Norwood, Massachusetts. John Martin Winslow was engaged in the leather busi- ness at Norwood and at Boston. He was a descendant of Kenelm Winslow, who was a member of the Plymouth Colony, and who settled at Dennis, Massachusetts. Kenelm's brother, Edward, wrote the "Mayflower Compact," and was the third Governor of Plymouth Colony.
Edward Martin Winslow attended public school and was graduated from English High School, Lynn, in 1911. He became associated with Benz Kid Company, and learned the business thoroughly. After the death of his father, he assumed the position of treasurer, in which position he still con- tinues. The Benz Kid Company are manu- facturers of glazed kid, obtaining their supplies principally from India, China, and Java, and shipping the finished product to customers throughout America and to many foreign countries. The steady growth of their business testifies to the superiority of their product.
Mr. Winslow's executive ability has been called into service by various civic and community institutions. He has served as vice-president of the Security Trust Com- pany of Lynn; president of the Lynn Stor- age and Warehouse Company; and is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the Salem Country Club, the Oxford Club of Lynn, and the Old Essex Chapter, Sons of the American Revolution. He is a direc- tor of the American Hair and Felt Company of Chicago; a thirty-second degree Mason and a Knight Templar; a member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston; a member of the Universalist Church; and a Republican
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in politics. His favorite recreation is golf.
Edward M. Winslow married, April 28, 1917, Elizabeth Bliss, who was born at New Bedford, a daughter of George and Rebecca (Whiteside) Bliss, of Halifax, Massachu- setts. Mrs. Winslow is a graduate of Lynn Classical High School, and is a member of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. They are the parents of five daughters: Elizabeth Dennison, Helen Bliss, Priscilla Alden, Gloria Hovey, and Glenna.
WILLIAM TAYLOR OBER-A de- scendant of families long resident in New England, William Taylor Ober, of Lynn, is prominent as an engineer, business man and university lecturer. On his paternal side he is a grandson of George and Mariah L. (Southwick) Ober, who were natives of Massachusetts and are buried in West Chazy, New York, where Mr. Ober was pro- prietor of a hotel. They were the parents of Hosea J. Ober, who was born in West Chazy on July 6, 1842, and died in Orange, Massachusetts, in June, 1924. A carpenter by trade, Hosea J. Ober was active in Re- publican affairs and was a member of the Congregational Church. He married Mable Long, born in Burlington, Vermont, on June 30, 1861, the daughter of Vernon Long, who was a native of Vermont, a farmer, and upon the outbreak of the Civil War enlisted in the Federal Army, dying in service. He is buried in Burlington. William T. Ober was born in Arlington, Massachusetts, on November 3, 1895. He was graduated from the Orange High School, Orange, in 1912, and then obtained a position with the General Electric Com- pany in Lynn. While working days, he at- tended classes at the General Electric Engi- neering School, Lynn, and upon completing this course, attended evening classes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at Cambridge, for eighteen months. This work
and study combination has been continued by Mr. Ober throughout his career. In May, 1917, he resigned his position as draftsman with the General Electric Com- pany to accept a similar offer with the Thomson Electric Welding Company (now Thomson-Gibb Electric Welding Com- pany), remained with this firm for three years in this capacity and then joined the sales department as a sales engineer, contin- uing another three years. In 1927 he was promoted to the position of assistant sales manager and held that position until 1931. Mr. Ober went to Bay City, Michigan, and for six months was manager of the plant in that city. He returned to Lynn as works manager of Thomson-Gibb Electric Weld- ing Company, which office he holds at pres- ent. He is also a director and assistant secretary of the Thomson Judd Wire Ma- chinery Company of Lynn. Mr. Ober is an authority on electric welding and the Mas- sachusetts Institute of Technology engaged him as a special lecturer on the subject of resistance welding.
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