The story of western Massachusetts, Volume IV, Part 42

Author: Wright, Harry Andrew
Publication date: 1949
Publisher: New York : Lewis Historical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 436


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On October 26, 1916, J. W. Sibley Hartshorn ma- ried Gladys A. Mason, a native of Groton, daughter of Sumner R. and Ellen (Williams) Mason, both of whom were natives of Groton and both now deceased. Sumner R. Mason was the son of the Rev. Sumner R. Mason, a Baptist minister of Cambridge; a vet- eran of the Civil War, and engaged in the plumb- ing business at Groton. Mrs. Hartshorn is a gradu- ate of the State Teachers College, at Fitchburg, and prior to her marriage was a school teacher. She is a member of the Park Congregational Church, and the Hampden County Women's Club; a member of the board of managers of the Home for Friendless Women and Children, and of the Springfield Garden Club. Dr. and Mrs. Hartshorn are the parents of the following children: 1. James W. S., born August 8, 1917, a graduate of Wilbraham Academy, Wesleyan University, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and Tufts Medical College, with the degree of Doctor of Medicine, class of 1942, and is now resident physician and surgeon at West Roxbury Veterans Hospital, West Roxbury. He married Elinor Charpentier, of Brookline, and they have two children: Holly H. and


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Rebecca. 2. Richard W., born January 3, 1919, a graduate of the University of Virginia, with the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts, class of 1941, and now a real estate editor of "Times Picayune," in New Orleans, Louisiana. He married Esther Robinson, of Chicago, Illinois, and they have three children: Tamara, Wendy and Eric. 3. Gladys Aline, born October 8, 1921, a graduate from Boston University, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts in 1943, and Master of Arts, in 1945, and was a teacher of art for one year. She married Harry F. Remde, of Providence, Rhode Is- land, who is a graduate student of physical research at Cambridge University, London, England. 4. Patricia M., born January 22, 1930, a student at Northfield Seminary.


JAMES BRODIGAN DUFFY became one of Springfield's outstanding industrialists after that painstaking thoroughness of preparation characteris- tic of men with high qualifications for leadership.


Mr. Duffy was born May 17, 1897, at Cambridge, the son of John B. and Helena (Regan) Duffy. His father was born in Cambridge in January, 1858, and died in Springfield in August, 1937. He was associ- ated with the Chapman Valve Company for many years. The late years of his life were devoted to his farm. He was an independent voter, a member of the Holy Name Catholic Church of Springfield and a member of the Holy Name Society. John Duffy's wife was born in Cambridge. She lives in East Longmeadow. He was the son of James and Mary Duffy. James Duffy, a native of Ireland, trained wild horses for the government during the Civil War. He later entered the livery stable business in East Cambridge and engaged in horse-trading and trucking. He and his wife died in Cambridge.


James B. Duffy attended elementary schools and was graduated from the Springfield Technical High School in 1915, when he became associated with the New England Westinghouse Company in Chicopee Falls as timekeeper and department clerk, succes- sively advancing to superintendent of time clerks, time study in cost work and to the auditing depart- ment. He was assistant paymaster in 1918 when he enlisted in the Navy as seaman second class. At the close of the war he entered the United States Govern- ment auditing department in Bridgeport, but later returned to his old company with its new name, the Westinghouse Electric and Manufacturing Company. For four years he was paymaster and cashier in the Springfield office. In December, 1926, he joined the Bay State Thread Works as cost accountant, and after two years became manager of that company's New York City office, which post he held for thirteen years, when he returned to Springfield as general sales manager. He was made vice president in De- cember, 1944, and director in 1948.


An independent voter, Mr. Duffy is a member of the Holy Name Catholic Church at Springfield and is a third degree member of the Knights of Columbus. He is affiliated with the American Legion, the Cham- ber of Commerce and the Kiwanis Club. He is on the board of directors of the Cotton Thread Institute of New York. During the late war he served on the OPA advisory board for the thread industry. He is a member of the Suffield, Connecticut, Country Club. He has served as a director of the South End


Community Center. His favorite recreation is golf. Mr. Duffy was married on June 4, 1923 to Katherine E. Hoar, a native of Springfield and daughter of James and Mary (Noonan) Hoar. Mr. Hoar, a train- man for the Boston and Maine Railroad, is deceased; his wife lives in Springfield. Mrs. Duffy, a graduate of the Commercial High School, is a member of the Holy Name Catholic Church and of the Mercy Hospital Guild. They have two children: I. Jane Katherine, born May 6, 1924, who attended grammar school at Garden City and was graduated from Gar- den City Junior High School, Cathedral High School of Springfield. She left Massachusetts State College after two years to enter Hunter College, where she joined the WAVES, being stationed variously at the Georgia State Teachers College at Milledgeville, the Seabee Base at Quonsett, Rhode Island, the Great Lakes Naval Training Station at Chicago, and fi- nally at the United States WAVE Disbursing Bar- racks in New York, where she was discharged with rank of seaman first class. She reentered the Uni- versity of Massachusetts and graduated January, 1948. She entered Katharine Gibbs School in New York City. 2. James H. Duffy, born in June, 1927, attended Garden City grammar school, Springfield Junior High School and was graduated from the Admiral Billard Academy at New London, Connecti- cut. He enlisted in the Army in September, 1945 and trained at Amherst College and Fort Benning, Georgia, and was discharged with the rank of private first class, and now is a student at the University of Massachusetts.


EDMUND HUGO FRIEDRICH-A widely known member of the sheet metal industry of Holyoke, Edmund Hugo Friedrich has contributed much to- ward the progress of this section of the state. His energy and foresight have been a main factor in the great development of the E. H. Friedrich Company, and he has merited the admiration of all those who have dealt with him in business.


Mr. Friedrich was born April 28, 1884, at Holyoke, son of Ernest Hugo (q.v.) and Bertha Clara (Leining) Friedrich. His father was engaged in the sheet- metal industry, and was a citrus-fruit grower at Leesburg, Florida.


Edmund Friedrich gained his early education in the public schools of Holyoke and attended Williston Academy. After completing his formal training, Mr. Friedrich joined his father in the sheet metal business. The elder Mr. Friedrich had established the enterprise in 1890, and the company had become well-known for its manufactures of sheet metal products for industrial use and in the construction industry. In 1910, the business was incorporated, and Mr. Friedrich became assistant treasurer. Through- out the years the company continued to grow and experienced a steady prosperity. Upon the death of his father, in 1940, Mr. Friedrich took over the management of the firm, becoming its president. In addition to this business interest, Mr. Friedrich operates in conjunction with his brother, Hugo E., the family citrus grove at Leesburg, Florida, which was acquired and developed by his father. He makes yearly trips to Florida in order to keep in touch with this enterprise.


W.Mass. IV-20


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Nathan Finkelstein


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Mr. Friedrich is active in the civic, social and fra- ternal life of his community. He is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, the National Fire Door As- sociation, the Building Contractors Association of Western Massachusetts, the Rotary Club, and the Mt. Tom Golf Club. He is a member of the Ancient Free and Accepted Masons in which he is affiliated with the William Whiting Lodge and the Melha Tempie of the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. In politics he is a Republican, and in religious affiliation he is an Episcopalilan.


On September 27, 1917, at Philadelphia, Pennsyl- vania, Edmund Hugo Friedrich married Catherine Rhoades Hunt, daughter of Charles Fuller and Helen (Walker) Hunt. They became the parents of the following children: I. Edmund Ernest, who was graduated from Loomis High School, in 1937, and from Cornell University, in 1941. During World War II he served in the United States Navy as an officer in the Pacific, rising from ensign to lieutenant. 2. Charles Richard, who was graduated from Loomis High School in 1942, and attended the University of Pennsylvania. Both the boys are associated with their father in the business.


ERNEST HUGO FRIEDRICH-A leading figure in the sheet metal industry of Holyoke for many years, and in later life prominent in the citrus-fruit business at Leesburg, Florida, Ernest Hugo Fried- rich contributed substantially toward the development of these centers. His business acumen and integrity merited the confidence and trust of many warm per- sonal friends and associates.


Mr. Friedrich was born, in 1857, in Saxony, son of August Care and Wilhelmina Friedrich. His father was a hand loom woolen weaver in Germany, and after coming to the United States was engaged in the textile industry.


Ernest Friedrich came to this country with his family at the early age of eight years and attended the public schools of Holyoke.


After completing his formal education, Mr. Fried- rich became engaged as a coppersmith. He gained much experience in the use and handling of metals in this position and later was associated with a large sheet metal manufacturing company as its foreman. In 1890, he decided to go into business for himself and organized the E. H. Friedrich Sheet Metal Company. He built a plant that same year and began operations which led to the installation of metal equipment all over the country. The enter- prise continued to grow steadily through the years and was remarkably prosperous under the able management of Mr. Friedrich. After a long period of successful operation, Mr. Friedrich bought a home in Leesburg, Florida, and developed a citrus grove, which he built into a highly productive business. He remained actively in the management of the sheet metal manufacturing plant until about 1923 when he devoted full time to the citrus grove until his death in 1940.


Mr. Friedrich was active in the social and fra- ternal life of those communities in which he resided. He was a member of the Old Nyasset Club, the Mt. Tom Golf Club, and the Holyoke Club. Fraternally, he was affiliated with the Ancient Free and Accepted


Masons in which he belonged to the Ancient Arabic Order of Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, and held the Thirty-second degree of Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite. In addition he was a member of the Benevo- lent and Protective Order of Elks. In religious faith he was an Episcopalian and attended the local Episcopal Church both at Holyoke and at Leesburg. Fond of travel, he made frequent trips to Europe to visit friends and relatives.


In 1883, at Clinton, Ernest Hugo Friedrich mar- ried Bertha Clara Leining, daughter of Adam and Clara (Stoehr) Leining. They became the parents of the following children: I. Edmund Hugo (q.v.), who took over his father's business interests. 2. Hugo Ern- est. 3. Bertha, who became the wife of William Wake- lin. 4. Emma, who was married to William T. Dillon, a prominent attorney and mayor of Holyoke for two terms. He has since passed away.


In 1940, Ernest Hugo Friedrich passed on. His death was a cause of deep sorrow among his many friends and business colleagues who had come to know and respect him as a benevolent friend and adviser.


NATHAN FINKELSTEIN, M.D. F.A.C.S .- A foremost surgeon and a urologist of national reputa- tion is Dr. Nathan Finkelstein of Pittsfield. A spe- cialist of vast experience and extraordinary skill. he is the admiration of his colleagues of Western Massa- chusetts, and indeed of the entire profession.


Nathan Finkelstein was born on September 10, 1888, in Russia, son of Morris J. and Celia (Nesson) Finkelstein, both now deceased. His parents came to Boston in 1900, when Nathan was twelve years old.


Having graduated from Boston English High School in the class of 1907, Mr. Finkelstein took special courses at Tufts College and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine from Tufts Medical School in 1912. Dr. Finkelstein was intern at House of Mercy in Pittsfield in 1912-13.


Until 1915 Dr. Finkelstein pursued the general practice of medicine in Pittsfield. In 1915-16 he did postgraduate work, and in 1916-17 was instructor in Urology at the Post-Graduate Medical School and Hospital in New York City. Since 1917 Dr. Finkel- stein has been a specialist in urology. He is Chief Urologist at both the House of Mercy and Saint Luke's Hospital in Pittsfield, as well as Consulting Urologist at the Plunkett Memorial Hospital, Adams; Con- sultant Urologist, Hillcrest Hospital, Pittsfield; and Consultant at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington. He is also Consultant in Urology at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut.


Dr. Finkelstein was elected Fellow of the American College of Surgeons in 1921. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the Massachusetts State Medical Society, and the Berkshire County Medical Society, of which he was president in 1924. Since 1929 he has belonged to the American Urological Association. He became a member of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia in 1925 and diplomate of the American Board of Urology in 1936.


On June 2, 1915, at Albany, Dr. Nathan Finkelstein married Ruby C. Rosenfeld, daughter of Jacob S. and Nina (Levy) Rosenfeld of that city. They became the parents of the following children: I. Robert J., who was born March 26, 1916, at Pittsfield. In 1937


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he was graduated from Dartmouth College with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and gained a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Mathematical Physics at Har- vard University; he is a member of the Princeton Institute of Advanced Study; from 1941 until 1946, he served with the United States Navy as a research physicist in Washington, D. C. 2. Carolyn, who was born October 31, 1919, at Pittsfield, received the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts at Smith College in 1941, and was married to Harry Leon Wilson, of New York City, noted author of novels and short stories. 3. Helen, who was born September 4, 1922, at Pittsfield, was graduated from the University of Wisconsin, in 1943, with the degree of Bachelor of Arts, and was married to Irvin Bruner, a Madison, Wisconsin, at- torney; they became the parents of one daughter, Mary Nathan Bruner, who was born in September, 1946, at Madison.


PHILIP CARSON POWERS-A prominent sta- tionery manufacturer of Springfield, Philip Carson Powers has made many valuable contributions toward the industrial growth and development of his com- munity. He has amassed an enviable record for good business dealings, and over the years has gained a host of loyal and admiring friends, both in busi- ness and in private life.


Mr. Powers was born January 25, 1869, at Spring- field, son of Lewis J. and Martha E. (Bangs) Powers. George Washington Powers, grandfather of Philip Carson Powers was born at Brimfield, owned and operated a trucking business in Springfield, where he died. His son, Lewis J. Powers, father of Philip Carson Powers, was born January 15, 1837, at Spring- field, and died September 15, 1915, there. He was the founder of the Powers Paper Company, which enterprise he established in 1857, and which became a leading producer of envelopes, school supplies, and fine stationery. He served for two terms as a mayor of Springfield, was a member of the Gov- ernor's Council during the administrations of Gov- ernor Ames and Governor Robertson, in politics was a Republican, and in religious belief was a Unitarian, attending the Unitarian church at Spring- field. He married Martha E. Bangs, who was born June II, 1837, and died in Springfield in June, 191I.


Philip Carson Powers received his early education in private schools, and attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After having completed his formal education, he became associated with his father in the paper manufacturing business, starting at the bottom with a wage of six dollars a week. In 1909, the enterprise was incorporated and the elder Mr. Powers became president. During this period, Philip Powers served as assistant treasurer. At the death of his father, Philip Powers became treasurer, and his brother, Lewis J. Powers, was made president. For the next twenty-five years Philip Powers demonstrated unusual ability and devotion to duty, and in 1940 he became president of the company, and has filled this position in an exemplary manner since. The firm is one of the most prosperous and successful paper manufacturers in Springfield, due in no small measure to the excellent management and forceful leadership of Mr. Powers. In addition to his business interest, he is a director of the Union Trust Company of Springfield.


Mr. Powers served in the United States Army during the Spanish-American War. He was a mem- ber of Company K of the Second Massachusetts In- fantry Regiment. After the company commander, Captain W. S. Warriner, was shot, Mr. Powers, then a first lieutenant, took command of the company.


Mr. Powers is active in community affairs, hold- ing membership in the Colony Club. In politics he is a staunch Republican. For many years he has been fond of golf and stream fishing.


In January, 1925, Philip Carson Powers married (second) Jessie Arnold, who was born at Westfield. By a previous marriage, Mr. Powers became the father of the following children: I. Frances C., who was graduated from Smith College, and is a resident of Springfield. 2. Martha T. (Powers) Blake, who be- came the wife of Philip R. Blake, who is assistant treasurer of the Powers Paper Company; they be- came the parents of two children, Philip R. Blake, Jr., and Martha Blake. 3. Josephine P. (Powers) Clapp, who attended the public schools of Springfield and Smith College, and married Duncan Clapp, a na- tive of Hartford, Connecticut, who is treasurer of the Powers Paper Company; they became the parents of the following children: i. Joanna. ii. Wendy. iii. Andrew. iv. Susanne.


WELLS W. MAGARGAL-A leading contractor and builder of Worthington, Wells W. Magargal is no less well-known as a responsibile citizen in pub- lic office. He is chairman both of the board of select- men and of the board of health and public welfare of the township of Worthington, in Hampshire Coun- ty. His tenure of service as a member of these public boards mark him as one of the most reliable and public-spirited of Hampshire County citizens.


Mr. Magargal is of Scotch extraction, son of Ed- win F. and Harriet M. (Hill) Magargal, of Spring- field. His father was a native of that city, and his mother was born in Bennington, Vermont. Both parents are buried in Springfield, where Edwin F. Magargal was for a number of years a cigar manu- facturer. It was there that Wells W. Magargal was born on February 19, 1892. He attended Forest Park Grammar School, and graduated from Technical High School in Springfield.


In 1911 Mr. Magargal settled in Worthington. During the intervening years he has done considerable farming, but his chief occupation since 1923 has been general building and contracting, and he has built many homes in the Worthington area. His activities as public servant date back to the early years of his residence in Worthington, and he has throughout his life devoted a great amount of time to civic interests. He was a member of the board of assessors of the town of Worthington for eight years prior to his elec- tion to the office of selectman, and he has been chair- man of the board of selectmen for sixteen years. Dur- ing the same period of years he has been a member of the board of health and public welfare of Worthington township. He is a past master, and now secretary, of the Globe Lodge, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, of Hinsdale, and a member of the Royal Arcanum in Worthington. He and his family attend the Congre- gational Church.


At Peru, Massachusetts, April 25, 1912, Wells W. Magargal married Amanda R. Raymond, of that town,


Joseph & Godine


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daughter of Charles and Julia (Thayer) Raymond. Mr. and Mrs. Magargal have become the parents of three children: 1. Harriet, born May 12, 1913. She married Charles K. Osgood of Worthington, son of George W. and Mary (Sheehan) Osgood, and they have three children: i. Mary Lou, age eleven. ii. Joan Ann, age eight. iii. Norma Jean, age six. All were born in Worthington. 2. Charles Raymond, born May 2, 1918, married Helen Bartlett of Worthington, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Guy Bartlett. They have two children: i. Judith, born July 10, 1943, ii. Chris- tine, born December 10, 1946. Charles R. Magargal is now associated with his father in the building and contracting business, and spent four and one-half years, from March, 1941 to October, 1945, in the Army Air Forces during World War II. He held the rank of private, first class, and was for fourteen months in the European Theater of Operations. Patricia Ann, born April 30, 1933.


JOSEPH JACQUES GODIN-A prominent and successful business man of Springfield, Joseph Jacques Godin, through his efforts, has made significant con- tributions toward the industrial growth of this city.


Mr. Godin was born December 18, 1904, at Mon- treal, Canada, son of Abel and Alice (Bolduc) Godin. Abel Godin, Sr., grandfather of Joseph Godin, was a prominent attorney of Montreal. He married Helen Haibec, and their son, Abel Godin, Jr., father of Joseph Jacques Godin, was born February 28, 1878, and died June 9, 1938, at Montreal. He was a success- ful interior decorator, later turned to opera as a life work, won a scholarship given by the Notre Dame Church in Montreal which enabled him to travel all over Europe and America with his wife, and became a prosperous and respected member of his community. He married Alice Bolduc, daughter of Joseph and Josephine (Bouchard) Bolduc, the former a black- smith and wrought iron worker of Montreal.


Joseph Jacques Godin received his elementary and high school education in the Springfield schools, and was graduated from high school in 1923. Then he took a premedical course at Tufts College. Following this he studied at night in the Northeastern Univer- sity, of Springfield, studying law.


In his early youth, Mr. Godin had sold commercial fire works in the Springfield stores. At the age of twenty years he became associated with the Pearl Fireworks Company, of Berkley, Rhode Island, and later of Centerdale, Rhode Island, as a salesman, selling fireworks for display purposes as needed by fairs and amusement parks. He later became manager of the company. In 1935 he formed his own company, the Interstate Fireworks Manufacturing and Display Company, and incorporated the enterprise in June, 1938, at which time he became president and owner. In December, 1945, the business was prospering and expanding, and, therefore, the corporation purchased a factory at Bridgewater, Massachusetts, and at the same time other companies became associated with Mr. Godin's parent company. The merger of two other enterprises with the Interstate Fireworks Manu- facturing and Display Company, which was effected largely through the efforts of Mr. Godin, made the concern the largest producer of fireworks and dis- plays in the East. He is the president and largest stockholder.


Mr. Godin is active in the community life of Springfield as a member of the National Showmen's Association, the New England Association of Amuse- ment Parks and Beaches of which he is on the finance committee, and is active in the St. Jean Baptiste So- ciety of America. A Republican by political prefer- ence, he has been known to vote independently at times. He attends the Mount Carmel Roman Catho- lic Church.


On June 5, 1924, Joseph Jacques Godin married Etta S. Cohen, daughter of Louis and Jennie (Solo- mon) Cohen. Her father was a glazier. Joseph Jacques and Etta S. (Cohen) Godin became the par- ents of the following children: 1. Edmund J., who was born June 12, 1925, was graduated from the Springfield High School and during World War II served in the United States Army Air Corps as a radio operator with the rank of sergeant, and is now taking a premedical course at the Massachusetts State College. 2. Roger J., who was born August 16, 1927, was graduated from high school, and is now a medical student at the Massachusetts State Col- lege.


FRANK JULIAN SPRAGUE-His name high upon the roster of American inventors, and of those few original minds to whom may be traced the seeds of our material progress, Frank Julian Sprague exem- plifies the human mind in quest: the human mind dis- satisfied with the world as it is, and looking always for the better way. Yet it was not the mind of the retiring philosopher, the radical of the narrow cell: it reacted sharply with the outside world, striking sparks as does a hammer which shapes heated iron.




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