USA > Massachusetts > Essex County > The story of Essex County, Volume IV > Part 35
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Pasquale Colella:
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THE STORY OF ESSEX COUNTY
Mrs. Smith died in 1921, since which time Mr. Daniels has been the sole proprietor and the directing force under which the bus- iness has expanded to its present impor- tance. Everything has been done to keep the laundry fully abreast of the times. It
occupies nearly nine thousand square feet of floor space; has a large fleet of motor vehicles which gathers and distributes over a territory within a radius of fifteen miles. All machinery and equipment is of the latest and most efficient type.
Mr. Daniels has not been content merely to carry on his own business without refer- ence to others of the same kind. He is a popular and keenly active member of the Massachusetts Laundry Owners Associa- tion, and has served on its executive board. He has kept in touch with the laundry busi- ness of New England and many other parts of the United States, attending conventions throughout the country, and upon numer- ous occasions has addressed these organiza- tions in an instructive and interesting fash- ion. Fraternally he is affiliated with Merri- mack Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; is a Knights Templar, and a member of Aleppo Temple, Boston, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He was a prime mover in the local organization of the John Greenleaf Whittier Chapter, Order of De Molay, and takes a keen interest in its activities. Among his clubs are the Pen- tucket and the Rotary, of which latter he is a past president, and of the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. He is a Congrega- tionalist in his religious faith.
In 1910 Ralph E. Daniels married Elma L. Deacon, of Connecticut, and they are the parents of two sons : I. Ralph Everett Dan- iels, Jr., born November 5, 1913, graduate of Nichols College, Dudley, Massachusetts, and is associated with his father in the laundry business. 2. Norman Keith Daniels,
born July 12, 1916, a graduate of Borden- town Military Institute, Bordentown, New Jersey.
PASQUALE COLELLA-A native of Italy, Pasquale Colella received his educa- tion and learned the art of shoemaking in his homeland. He has been in America nearly thirty years, during which time he has advanced in the shoe industry until he is the head of the Colella & Leighton Shoe Company, one of the important concerns in this line in the city of Lynn.
Pasquale Colella was born in Italy, April 23, 1886, a son of Gennaro and Carmela (Musto) Colella, his parents have passed their lives in their native country. The father was a shoemaker and a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Pasquale grad- uated at the high school in his home town in Italy in 1904. From the time he was six years of age, he assisted his father with the work in the latter's shoe shop. After he had completed his education, he continued two more years in his father's employ.
In 1906 he set sail for the United States, arriving at Lynn on November 27 of that year. Without delay he took up his trade and entered the employ of the Jones Shoe Company, at No. 226 Broad Street, in the capacity of a laster. At the end of six months he was advanced to foreman, and when a year had passed, he was promoted to general superintendent, which post he filled for thirteen years.
In association with H. P. Leighton, he organized the Colella & Leighton Shoe Com- pany at No. 226 Broad Street, Lynn, in 1924. In addition to being a partner, Mr. Leighton acted as salesman for the company's prod- ucts until his death, which occurred in No- vember, 1929. Since that time Mr. Colella has been at the head of the business, which was removed in 1927 to its present location,
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No. 266 Broad Street. Here the company occupies the entire sixth floor and one-half of the fifth floor. Its product is high-grade women's shoes, and its sales cover the United States from coast to coast.
In politics Mr. Colella is a Democrat. He is a member of the Lynn Chamber of Com- merce, Manufacturers Association of Lynn, and Oxford Club of Lynn. In his younger days he gave considerable attention to music and for a time was a member of a band.
Pasquale Colella married, February 23, 1908, at Lynn, Mary Lugurseo, born in this city, the daughter of the late Frank Lugur- seo, of Lynn, who was a native of Italy and died in Lynn, where he was a shoemaker by occupation. Mrs. Colella is a graduate of the Lynn High School. Mr. and Mrs. Colella are members of the Joseph's Church. Their children are : 1. Gennaro, graduated at the Lynn English High School and Bur- dett's Business College in Lynn. He is a foreman of his father's shoe manufactory. He is married and the father of a son. 2. Tresa Colella, graduated at the English Classical High School and Burdett's Busi- ness College. She is employed by her father as a bookkeeper in his factory. 3. Nora Colella, graduated at the English High School, and is a student at Burdett's Busi- ness College. 4. Guisseppe. 5. Alfredo. 6. Luiggo. 7. Paulina. The family home is at Harbor View, Nahant.
JAMES P. CLEARY is an attorney in Haverhill. He was born in Boston on June 21, 1890, the son of James P. Cleary and Mary A. (Geogan) Cleary. Mr. Cleary was graduated from Boston University in 1912 with a Bachelor of Laws degree. In the same year he was admitted to the bar and commenced the practice of law in the office of James R. Murphy, and later, be- came associated with the firm of Kittredge & Dana, continuing in this connection until
the United States entered the World War. He was assigned to the personnel division at Camp Upton. Upon being honorably discharged, Mr. Cleary returned to the practice of law with Wheaton Kittredge and in 1920 he removed to Haverhill where he has been associated with Judge John J. Ryan, under the firm name of Ryan & Cleary. He was the city solicitor of Haver- hill from 1928 to 1932. Mr. Cleary is a member of the Haverhill, Essex County, Massachusetts, and the American Bar Asso- ciations.
A member of the Knights of Columbus, he is a Past Grand Knight and is also a Past Exalted Ruler of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Mr. Cleary married, in 1921, Dorothy H. Lennon, daughter of John and Mary E. (Ryan) Lennon. Mr. and Mrs. Cleary have three children: I. Dorothy, born on March 8, 1923. 2. James P., Jr., born on June 5, 1924. 3. Richard, born on March 6, 1926.
GEORGE E. WEBSTER, president of Morrill & Webster, Incorporated, and well- known to business, civic and fraternal cir- cles of Haverhill, was born in Haverhill on May 28, 1895, the son of Harold A. and Cora B. (Smith) Webster. Both parents were natives of Ayers Village. Harold A. Webster was engaged in the manufacture of shoes and died in 1903, and Cora Web- ster died in 1931.
George E. Webster was educated in local public schools and attended a business col- lege. He early became associated with the shoe manufacturing industry, entering the firm of Goodrich Company of Haverhill and, later, the I. Miller Company, acquiring from these concerns a thorough knowledge of women's shoe manufacturing. His initia- tive and energy prompted him, in 1921, to assist in organizing the Fowler Shoe Com- pany. The firm obtained quarters on Wash-
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ton Street and began the manufacture of high grade women's shoes, under the com- pany organization of John Parsons, presi- dent, and Mr. Webster, treasurer.
The quality of their women's shoes, all with hand-turned soles, won immediate favor with the shoe market and the patron- age of the firm has increased and now sup- plies a wide market in New England. The management of the company continued un- changed until 1931 when a reorganization took place. The firm name was changed to its present title of Morrill & Webster, In- corporated, with Mr. Webster as president and Leslie A. Morrill as treasurer, and is now located in the Hayes Building on Granite Street. Morrill & Webster employ eighty persons and have a factory area of over 17,000 square feet of floor space. The company is established as one of the reli- able business enterprises of Haverhill and has a substantial reputation that is zeal- ously maintained.
Aside from his business responsibilities, Mr. Webster is prominently engaged in fra- ternal circles, being a member of Saggahew Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, the Lodge of Perfection. He is also a member of the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce. During the World War, Mr. Webster en- listed in the United States Army, served for a time in the motor transport but was later transferred to the intelligence division and assigned to duty in Paris, France, where he served as interpreter and held the grade of sergeant.
In 1928 Mr. Webster married Ruth Mc- Kenzie, a native of Massachusetts, and they are the parents of a daughter, Suzanne, born on March 15, 1930.
JOHN J. RYAN, JR .- In support of the many civic, business, and professional mat- ters that indicate progress for Haverhill,
such capable leaders as John J. Ryan, Jr., are depended upon to lend their valuable aid in counsel and direction. Professionally, Mr. Ryan, Jr., is a lawyer of established place and reputation in Haverhill and as an assistant district attorney his career sets forth an excellent record of success. Born on August 23, 1902, in Haverhill, he is a son of John J. Ryan, an outstanding mem- ber of the bar and a leading citizen of Haverhill, and Elizabeth T. (O'Brien) Ryan.
Mr. Ryan, Jr., attended public schools, Holy Cross College, from which he received a degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1925, and then entered Harvard Law School, being graduated in 1928 a Bachelor of Laws. Upon being admitted to the bar in 1928, he started the practice of law in Haverhill with his father as a partner, and engaged in general practice. His intellectual and pro- fessional equipment soon came into public notice and he is now widely known as an unusually capable and proficient assistant district attorney of Essex County. In his capacity as a legal defender of the people, he is continuing the tradition of his distin- guished father who served on the bench. He is establishing an enviable reputation by his successful prosecution of cases that have attracted national attention to his abilities. In addition to his duties as assist- ant district attorney and his interest in the legal profession, Mr. Ryan, Jr., is promi- nently identified with financial circles of Haverhill as a director of the Haverhill Trust Company.
He is a member of the Essex County, the Massachusetts State and the American Bar associations. Fraternally he is a member of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and holds membership in the Pentuc- ket Club. His religious affiliation is with Saint James Roman Catholic Church of Haverhill.
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In 1930 he married Angela L. McNamara of Haverhill and they have a daughter, Mary E., who was born on July 14, 1931.
LESLIE A. MORRILL-The major part of his career having been in the shoe manu- facturing industry, Leslie A. Morrill is now treasurer of Morrill and Webster, Incor- porated, and is prominently identified with religious and fraternal organizations. He was born in Pittsfield, New Hampshire, on June 24, 1890, the son of Melvin A. Morrill, born in Massachusetts, and Clara A. (Peas- lee) Morrill, a native of New Hampshire. His father was connected for many years with the United Shoe Machinery Corpora- tion.
After attending public schools, Mr. Mor-, rill entered the shoe manufacturing indus- try at Haverhill as an employee of C. K. Fox, where he remained for about five years, and then became connected with the Haseltine-Colby Shoe Manufacturing Com- pany, also of Haverhill, and was thus en- gaged until 1917 when he enlisted for serv- ice in the World War. He became a mem- ber of the Quartermaster's Corps and was assigned to duty at Jacksonville, Florida, and Charlotte, North Carolina. Upon be- ing honorably discharged, he returned to Haverhill and became connected with the E. D. Haseltine Company, which firm later moved to Newburyport. Mr. Morrill subse- quently became vice-president and director of the corporation which was liquidated in 1930.
On May 28, 1931, he became associated with George E. Webster in the reorganiza- tion of the Fowler Shoe Company as Mor- rill and Webster, Incorporated, of which Mr. Webster is president and Mr. Morrill, treasurer. The firm has established a fac- tory in the Hayes Building on Granite Street and manufactures a high grade hand- turned woman's shoe that is popularly
known in the New England market. In their plant of over seventeen thousand square feet of floor space the firm employs eighty persons and is rapidly growing. Avoiding paternalism, Mr. Morrill, never- theless, is respected and liked by the firm's employees because of his interest in their welfare and his desire to improve their con- ditions.
Mr. Morrill is a member of Saggahew Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, and Pentucket Chapter, Royal Arch Ma- sons. He is also a member of several local clubs and attends the Universalist Church.
Mr. Morrill married, in 1912, Mary .Ina Bartlett, of Merrimac, Massachusetts.
ROBERT HUTCHISON-For nearly all his working life, Robert Hutchison, of Haverhill, Massachusetts, has been con- nected with the boot and shoe pattern busi- ness, and since 1924, as a partner in the firm of Brown and Hutchison. In that year Mr. Brown retired and the concern has consisted only of John and Robert Hutchi- son, the founders. A brief history of Brown and Hutchison has been given in the review of the life of John Hutchison in this vol- ume. The company is the oldest and larg- est in Haverhill operating in shoe patterns without change of title and its products go to all parts of the United States.
Robert Hutchison was born at Bradford, Massachusetts, on December 6, 1886, a son of John and Mary A. (Kearney) Hutchison, both of whom were natives of Ireland. The father was for years connected with the shoe industry, and died in 1887. Robert Hutchison received a public school educa- tion, but at an early age went into the shoe industry. When he had reached his ma- jority, he joined his brother in the organi- zation of the firm of Brown and Hutchison, which, with his brother John, he now owns. Civic, social and fraternal affairs have re-
William S. Jordans.
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ceived much of Mr. Hutchison's time and attention and he is prominent in some of these activities. Fraternally he is a Mason, affiliated with Merrimack Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons ; a Knights Templar, and a member of Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and is also a member of the Junior Order, United American Mechanics, and the Knights of Pythias. Among other organi- zations of which he is a member are the Pentucket Club, the Haverhill Chamber of Commerce, and the Boston Shoe Travelers Association. An Episcopalian in his reli- gious belief, Mr. Hutchison is generous of his time and means in the support of all worthy movements intended for the bet- terment of the community.
In 1912 Robert Hutchison married Gladys E. Tarbox, a native of Kennebunk, Maine, and they are the parents of two daughters : Louise G., born December 3, 1912; and Natalie M., born on December 1I, 1916.
WILLIAM LEROY JORDAN-One of the many exceptions to the old New Eng- land rule that sons follow the vocations of their fathers, is William Leroy Jordan, of Lynn, Massachusetts. He was born in this city on September 20, 1877, the son of George E. and Margaret J. (Burleigh) Jor- dan, the former a native of Maine who died in Lynn. George E. Jordan was the son of William and Olive (Dorrell) Jordan, the former of whom was born in Salem, and the latter, in Wells, Maine. Mr. Jordan's father and grandfather were engaged in the shoe industry in Lynn for many years and were experts in their lines of activity. Mar- garet J. (Burleigh) Jordan was the daughter of James and Jane (Graham) Burleigh, both natives of Ireland, who died in Lynn. Mr. Burleigh was a gardener by vocation and served with the Union armies during the Civil War.
William Leroy Jordan, after completing his education in the grammar and high schools of his birthplace, did what was the usual thing ; he began to learn some phase of shoe manufacturing. He entered the em- ploy of Breed and McFarland, of Lynn, and was on his way to becoming proficient in the cut soles side of the leather trade. But his natural gifts and bent were along the line of mechanics, and later in life he proved himself a genius in connection with ma- chinery and manifested marked inventive abilities. At first, however, he did not ap- preciate his talents nor know how to get started in a vocation that suited him best. Leaving the leather and shoe trade he spent two years as a butcher in connection with the grocery store of L. W. Howard, in Lynn. Then for three years he was associated with the General Electric Works, in Lynn, work- ing mainly on insulation. This occupation affected his health, and to get out-of-doors, Mr. Jordan was tree warden for the munic- ipality of Lynn for a year. For a number of months at a time he was employed by Fred Joint, and was in charge of a meat market, and was employed also by the T. C. Rowan Machine shop, until this business was sold to the Hamel Shoe Machinery Company. With this concern he remained until 1921, having at last found the kind of work he liked.
In 1921 Mr. Jordan went to Tampa, Flor- ida, as repair man for Baker Brothers, but remained only six months because of the health of his wife. Returning North, he located at Buxton, Maine, where he logged in the woods for a half-year as an employee of the Clark Mills Company. He then came to Lynn and took over the shop of T. C. Rowan. Mr. Jordan formed a partnership, in January, 1925, with Samuel Brown. and started business under the trade name of the Shoe City Machine Company. Twice the company changed the location of their plant
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before arriving at its present place at No. 275 Broad Street, Lynn. In October, 1930, the business was incorporated, with Mr. Jor- dan as president and Mr. Brown as treas- urer, offices they have since held. The cor- poration does all kinds of machine work- experimental, marine engines, and machine repairing-and also manufactures many types of mechanisms and devices. Mr. Jor- dan is a member of the Lynn Chamber of Commerce and St. Stephen's Episcopal Church.
William Leroy Jordan married (first), in 1898, Isabelle Boyden, a native of West Newbury, Massachusetts, and they were the parents of a daughter, Bertha Eleanor, who married Paul Clark, a captain of the Fire Department, Los Angeles, California, and they have three daughters Margaret Jane, Lucile, and Eleanor May Clark. In 1909, Mr. Jordan married (second) Sarah Hall, a native of Yorkshire, England.
N. POWER O'CONNOR-One of the most modernly equipped establishments of its kind in Essex County, the firm of N. Power O'Connor, Funeral Director, of Ha- verhill, has spared no expense to provide the best undertaking service. Born in Haver- hill, December 31, 1890, Mr. O'Connor is the son of Patrick O'Connor, born in West Newbury, Massachusetts, and Katherine (Powers) O'Connor, born in Haverhill.
After receiving his education in parochial schools, Mr. O'Connor early in his career became associated with the firm of James J. Powers, Morticians, of Haverhill. He re- mained with this concern a number of years and acquired a thorough knowledge of this business. In 1930 he purchased the T. E. Shanahay Company and has continued un- der his own name, N. Power O'Connor, Funeral Director, and is the sole owner. All rolling equipment is motorized, including the hearse which is of pretentious construc-
tion and design. The funeral chapel has been thoughtfully prepared to render the most efficient service in a quiet and dignified manner. Mr. O'Connor conducts probably the largest number of Catholic funerals in Haverhill and within a radius of fifteen miles.
In fraternal affairs of Haverhill, Mr. O'Connor is well known through his mem- berships in the Knights of Columbus; the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks ; Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Mas- sachusetts Catholic Order of Foresters. He is also a member of the American Legion, having served in the World War in the United States Navy.
N. Power O'Connor married in 1926, Mil- dred F. Sheehan, of Haverhill, and they are the parents of a child, F. Power, born on October 27, 1930. Mr. O'Connor and family attend the St. James Roman Catholic Church.
HARRY HALPERN is prominently iden- tified with business circles of Haverhill as treasurer and partner of the Halpern Shoe Company, of which he is one of the found- ers. The firm manufactures women's shoes and although the enterprise is one of the newer concerns in its field, Halpern shoes have proved to be of such excellent quality that there is a wide demand for this brand. Mr. Halpern was born in Russia on March 14, 1876, son of S. Halpern, in the service of the Russian Government, and Ida Hal- pern.
After attending school in his native coun- try, Mr. Halpern came to America in his fifteenth year and settled in Philadelphia, where he found employment and later en- gaged in a jobbing and retail business which he built up to a prosperous concern. Will- ing to work and able to save, he was in a position in 1926 to purchase a partnership in the Nessen Shoe Company of Haverhill, the firm name thereupon being changed to
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Nessen and Halpern. Mr. Nessen died sev- eral years after the partnership was formed and Mr. Halpern purchased from the estate his partner's interest and formed a corpora- tion with his sons Robert and Albert, under the present name, the Halpern Shoe Com- pany, of which he is treasurer, Robert Hal- pern president, and Albert Halpern, clerk. Careful and capable management of the busi- ness brought a steady increase of trade that caused the firm to seek larger quarters and in 1932 the company removed to its pres- ent site at No. 151 Essex Street. The com- pany now employs over two hundred per- sons, has over 17,500 square feet of floor space, and distributes its products through- out the eastern markets.
In 1896 Mr. Halpern married Anna Rabi- novitz, also a native of Russia, and they have six children. They are: 1. Abraham, graduated from the University of Pennsyl- vania, served in the World War, married Rose Benson, and they have two children. 2. Bess, married Mr. Bliman. 3. Robert, married Edith Goldman, and has two chil- dren. 4. Albert, married Isabel Chester, and has one child. 5. Celia, married Mr. Katzen. 6. Ellen, married Walter Espovich. Mr. Halpern is a man of quiet tastes and finds in his home and family his greatest joy. He has given all his children the advantages of a good education and takes a rightful pride in the fact that he has been able to estab- lish them in comfort and happiness.
LEWIS H. GILES-For more than a quarter of a century associated with banks of Haverhill, Lewis H. Giles has established himself as a financial executive of broad capacity. His many years of experience and his knowledge of conditions peculiar to Ha- verhill and northeastern Essex County, com- bined with his business ability and personal qualities, give to his opinions on financial
matters an authority possessed by few. Mr. Giles was born in Georgetown, July 31, 1861, the son of James B. Giles, born in Litchfield, New Hampshire, and died in 1888, and Eliza K. (Kimball) Giles, a native of Barnstead, New Hampshire, and died in 1918. James B. Giles was a shoe manufacturer and prom- inent in commercial circles.
After receiving his preliminary education in public schools of his community and the Putnam Free School, Mr. Giles prepared for a business career at Bryant and Stratton Business College. He then became a clerk with the Georgetown National Bank, and in 1889 was appointed cashier of the institu- tion and so served until 1909 when he be- came treasurer of the Haverhill Trust Com- pany, serving in that office until 1931. In 1932 he became treasurer of the Georgetown Savings Bank of which he had been a trus- tee since 1894 and for several years had served as clerk of the corporation and trus- tees. The Georgetown Savings Bank is now the only bank in Georgetown, and has, since its inception, proved the confidence of its depositors. Organized in 1868, this bank has had as officers some of the best known names in Essex County banking history : H. P. Chaplin ; J. P. Jones ; Joseph E. Bailey ; Sherman Nelson; W. M. Brewster; L. H. Bateman ; W. E. Atkinson, having served as president, which office is now filled by For- est P. Hull. H. H. Harriman ; Orlando B. Tunney ; E. S. Fickett ; S. A. Donaghue, and Mr. Giles have served as treasurers. Assets of more than $900,000 place this bank in a strong position and warrant the faith of its large number of customers.
Fraternally Mr. Giles is a member of Charles C. Dame Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and Haverhill Commandery, Knights Templar; Aleppo Temple, Mystic Shrine at Boston; the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is also a member of
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