Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 17

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: New York, American historical Society
Number of Pages: 700

USA > Massachusetts > Worcester County > Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III > Part 17

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).

Of these, C. Claflin Young, of whom this is primarily a record, received his early education in the public schools, later studying at Mercersburg Academy. Upon finishing his schooling, he be- came associated with the Claflin-Sumner Coal Company, of which he was made, after a time, a director and assistant treasurer. When his fath- er's death left vacant the presidency of the com- pany, however, the son stepped into the chief ex- ecutive office, which he has since filled with emi- nent satisfaction to his community and his business associates and customers. The original firm was known as C. W. Claflin and Company, the official personnel of which consisted for many years of C. L. Claflin, Arthur Osgood Young, and Edward W. Pierce. About 1875, a wholesale department of the coal company was established in Boston. That first company went through several changes, becoming the Claflin Coal Company, which was merged, on April 1, 1910, with the Sumner Coal Company, forming the Claflin-Sumner Coal Com- pany, whose headquarters are at No. 32 Pleasant Street, Worcester. The Youngs, both father and son, have done much to further the upbuilding of this business, which, in their hands, was excellently managed and conducted.

In addition to his work with this coal company, C. Claflin Young, the present head of it, is also president of the C. W. Claflin Company, of Bos- ton, Massachusetts; president of the Framingham Coal Company, of Framingham, Massachusetts, of which Arthur Osgood Young, Jr., is the treasurer; chairman of the board of directors of the Massa- chusetts Wharf Coal Company; president of the Converse-Carlisle Coal Company, of Springfield, Massachusetts, a director of the Worcester Bank and Trust Company, and the Mutual Fire Insur- ance Company, of Worcester; and a trustee of the Worcester County Institution for Savings.

In addition to his business and financial connec- tions, which, as the foregoing record shows, are numerous, Mr. Young is likewise a leader in civic and social organizations, belonging to several clubs and similar groups. He is a trustee of the Wor- cester Mechanics' Association, and a member of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the Ban- croft Automobile Club, the Commonwealth Club, the Economic Club, the Tatnuck Country Club, the Worcester Club, the Worcester County Me- chanics' Association, the Worcester Country Club, and the Kiwanis Club. His religious faith is that of the Protestant Episcopal Church, his parish being All Saints', of Worcester, in which he is a member of the vestry.

Mr. Young has also distinguished himself as a writer, having prepared a number of articles and papers on the coal industry, with which experience has made him so familiar. Magazines and trade journals have published his writings at different times-a recognition that is not commonly achieved by business men, who, like Mr. Young, have by necessity paid greatest attention to commercial af- fairs. A man of varied abilities and attainments, he has, indeed, won the esteem and respect of his

Wor .- 5

WORCESTER COUNTY

fellow-citizens, especially through his enthusiastic support of a number of important public enter- prises in Worcester.

C. Claflin Young married, in 1916, Edna T. Smith, of Worcester, who, like her husband, takes a deep interest in civic affairs, being a member of the Worcester Country Club and the Tatnuck Country Club. The children by this marriage are: I. Thornton C. Young, who was born on May 19, 1917. 2. Elizabeth, born June 3, 1921.

FLORENCE J. DONOGHUE-In the prac- tice of law in Worcester and its environs, as well as in different branches of civic life, Florence J. Donoghue has for many years figured prominently. His labors have been widely productive of good results, and he is esteemed and respected wherever he is known.

Mr. Donoghue was born on December 1, 1888, at Worcester, son of Jeremiah F. and Mary (Fogarty) Donoghue, both of whom were natives of County Kerry, Ireland. His father was en- gaged from time to time in different occupations, and his parents are among the well-beloved citizens of Worcester. In St. John's parochial schools at Worcester, Florence J. Donoghue received his early education, later being graduated from Holy Cross College in the class of 1911 and with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. In 1914 he took his Bach- elor of Laws degree at Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia.

Formally admitted to the bar on August 31, 1915, he commenced the practice of his chosen profes- sion in the same year at Worcester. Since that time, he has continued his general legal practice, with offices in the State Mutual Building, this city. He is active not only in his own practice, but also takes a deep interest in the general welfare of his profession and in holding high its standards. Par- ticularly does he participate in the broader life of his profession through his memberships in the Worcester County Bar Association and the Massa- chusetts State Bar Association.

Quite aside from the law, however, Mr. Dono- ghue has been a leader in Worcester life. He is a member of the Knights of Columbus, the Ancient Order of Hibernians, and the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks. During the World War period, he served his country as a soldier in the army, having been assigned to Camp Devens, Mas- sachusetts, and given the rank of corporal. He has also been chosen to fill important positions in the different fraternal orders with which he is affil- iated and has an extensive knowledge of Worcester people and their history. He is likewise a member of the American Legion, in which he is past com- mander of the Worcester Post, and of the Amer- ican Irish Historical Association, of which he is secretary. He was elected by the Worcester City Council a director of the Worcester Free Public Library for the term from 1933-38 inclusive To his many activities and affiliations, he has brought the benefits of a wide experience and back- ground.

Florence J. Donoghue married, in 1922, Ella M. Power, of Worcester. They became the parents of two children: I. Marie, who was born on June 16, 1925. 2. Robert, born July 19, 1927. The family residence, in Worcester, is situated at No. 16 Pres- ton Street.

KENNETH B. WETHERBEE-Having ad- vanced to vice-president of Wetherbee and Com- pany, Inc., one of the oldest concerns in Worcester engaged in bookbinding and paper-ruling, Kenneth B. Wetherbee is contributing to the success of the business, which was founded by his father. The younger Wetherbee, who on both sides of his house is descended from old Massachusetts families, is a public-spirited citizen of Worcester.

John W. Wetherbee, born in Ashby, this State, was superintendent of the printing plant of F. S. Blanchard until 1900, in which year he established a small bookbindery in his own house. Later, as the business grew, he transferred his plant and office to Mason Street, and from the latter place removed to Oxford Place. When the new Printers' Building at No. 25 Foster Street was completed

he was one of the first tenants to take space in it, and the business has since been situated there. Prosperity has attended the operation of the bindery and kindred lines, and the number of operatives has at times run as high as thirty-six. The plant occupies several thousand square feet of floor space, and the equipment is of the best for a busi- ness of this kind. In 1927 it was deemed wise to have the business incorporated and a charter was obtained for Wetherbee and Company, Inc., John W. Wetherbee becoming president, and Kenneth B. Wetherbee vice-president and general manager. The elder Wetherbee is a thirty-second degre Scot- tish Rite member of the Masonic Order, a Past Patron of the Order of the Eastern Star, a Past Master of the Patrons of Husbandry (Grange), and is prominently identified with other organiza- tions. He married Lena Inez Brackett, a native of Massachusetts.

Kenneth B. Wetherbee, son of John W. and Lena Inez (Brackett) Wetherbee, was born in Athol, Worcester County, December 5, 1895, and received his education in the public schools of that town. After the United States entered the World War, he enlisted and was assigned to the 74th Regiment and during his term of service was sta- tioned at various army camps. His only major business connection has been with Wetherbee and Company, Inc., where he learned the business in its different departments and qualified for the execu- tive and managerial positions he has filled since his election to them. It has been his good fortune to see the business develop to proportions where it commands a large place in the esteem of the Worcester business community.

He is affiliated with Morning Star Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons; has been advanced through the thirty-second degree in the Scottish Rite; and is identified with Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, of Boston. He is a member of the Congregational Church.

Kenneth B. Wetherbee married, in 1919, Olive E. Pike, of Connecticut, and they have four chil- dren : Phyllis, Wallace, David and Martha. The family home is at No. 11 Dallas Street, Worcester.

RAYMOND PAGET HAROLD, treasurer of the Cooperative Bank of Worcester and a direc- tor of other financial institutions, was born in Wor- cester, Massachusetts, July 12, 1898, son of George S., who early in life engaged in business in Wor- cester and is now active in the envelope business.

WORCESTER COUNTY

He married Sadie Whittum, a native of Massachu- setts.

Raymond Paget Harold received his early educa- tion in the public schools, graduating from high school in 1916. While a student in high school, he was employed afternoons in a bank where he served as messenger and performed numerous other odd jobs, thus acquiring experience that was to be useful to him in his future work. Later, while still a school boy, he was advanced to the position of bookkeeper, in which capacity he served during the summer vacations. Upon leaving school he went to Pittsburgh and associated himself with the Pennsylvania Trust Company of that city. He had decided that he must secure a better education, and six months after going to Pittsburgh he entered Carnegie Institute of Technology, carrying on part of his work by attending evening classes. The entrance of the United States into the World War, however, interrupted his studies, and in November, 1917, he enlisted in the Motor Transportation Corps for World War service. He was sent to Fort Slocum, New York, then to Camp Johnson, Florida, and finally, in March, 1918, to France, where he remained in active service until June, 1919, when he returned to the United States and was discharged. He now holds the rank of first lieutenant in the Engineers Corps. Upon his return to civilian life he was empolyed for one summer in the engineers' department of the United States Envelope Company at Worcester. He then re- turned to the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh, where he continued his studies in engi- neering for about two and a half years, taking commercial engineering courses. At the same time he was employed with the company that had pre- viously engaged his services, the Pennsylvania Trust Company. When his studies at the Carnegie Institute were completed, he came back to Massa- chusetts, entered Harvard University, in Cam- bridge, studied banking and accounting, and ob- tained a position in the First National Bank of Boston. There he was employed in different de- partments until 1923, when he was appointed by Joseph Allen, then bank commissioner, assistant bank examiner. In 1927 he was made a bank ex- aminer, having charge of bank examinations, in which capacity he served until December of that same year when he associated himself with the Cooperative Bank of Worcester as assistant treas- urer. In June, 1928, he was elected treasurer of the bank and one of its directors. Under his able direction the bank has consistently prospered and has successfully met the difficulties of the recent banking crisis. In addition to his responsibilities as an official of the Cooperative Bank of Worces- ter, Mr. Harold is also a vice-president of the Mas- sachusetts Cooperative Bank League. In March, 1932, he was elected a director of the Cooperative Central Bank, created in 1932 by the State Legis- lature, and he also serves as a member of the executive committee of that institution. He is a director of the Federal Loan Bank of Cambridge, and a director of the Worcester Chamber of Com- merce. He is also a member and treasurer of the Economic Club of Worcester, and a member of the Rotary Club.

Mr. Harold has taken part in the social and civic life of his city and State, and has been an inter- ested supporter of many worth while projects for civic and community advancement. Fraternally, he

is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, and serves as marshal in the Rose of Sharon Lodge, of Worcester. He is also a member of Theta Pi Greek letter society, which he joined in his college days. He is a member of Lincoln Square Baptist Church.

Raymond Paget Harold was married, December 28, 1922, to Myrtle Sprague Rice, of Worcester, Massachusetts. Mr. and Mrs. Harold have two children: I. Charlotte Irma, who was born Jan- uary 24, 1924. 2. Dorothy Ann, born January 26, 1932. The family residence is situated at No. 81 Morningside Road, Worcester.

ALEXANDER B. CAMPBELL was born at Lowell, March 17, 1878, son of Alexander J. and Eliza A. (Woods) Campbell. Alexander J. Camp- bell has been a merchant in Worcester for thirty years. Alexander B. Campbell was educated in the public schools, being graduated from high school in 1906, and immediately matriculated at the Uni- versity of Pennsylvania. Before completing his degree studies in the university, he entered Yale Law School, where he studied for a professional career during the years 1907-08 and 1909. Admitted to the bar of Worcester County in 1912, Mr. Campbell began the general practice of law as the Worcester representative of the famous firm of Choate-Hall and Stewart, an association which con- tinued for five years. In 1915 he became a mem- ber of the firm of Norman and Campbell, one of the leading legal firms of the city. The years have brought an increasing clientele and a host of friends who esteem him highly as an attorney and counselor, both professionally and as a man of affairs. Mr. Campbell is the attorney and a direc- tor of many large and important corporations.

Mr. Campbell became interested in politics before he had reached his majority, and he has served as assistant city solicitor of Worcester for three years, was honored with election as councilman during the period from 1912 to 1915, and was president of the council during 1914 and 1915. But in more recent years he has neither the time nor the desire to be in the political arena. He is a member of the Massachusetts, Worcester County and the Ameri- can Bar associations. Fraternally, he is affiliated with Quinsigamond Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma- sons, and Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons. His favorite out-of-doors recreation is golf, which he enjoys as a member of the Worcester Country Club. His church is All Saints Episcopal, of Worcester.

On October 3, 1914, Mr. Campbell married Lucy S. Bryden, of Worcester, and they are the parents of two children: I. Charles Bryden, born Septem- ber 22, 1915. 2. Nancy, born July 24, 1919. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell reside at No. 38 Forest Street, Worcester.

EVERETT E. BERGSTROM-As a mem- ber of the group of younger business men in Wor- cester, Everett E. Bergstrom has a place of prom- inence as treasurer of the Independent Cooperative Bank and as a man who holds high ideals of his duties and privileges as a citizen. The same con- structive ideas and indefatigable energy which he has brought to his profession, he brings into his activities in all phases of life, and his career promises much of usefulness in the better devel- opment of the municipality, even as it has already

WORCESTER COUNTY

given evidence of leadership and force in banking. He is a true son of Worcester, born there August 21, 1903, a son of Arvid T. and Carolina (Nelson) Bergstrom, both of whom, though natives of Sweden, married in Worcester. They came from their native country in 1875 and settled in Massa- chusetts. The senior Mr. Bergstrom was for many years a merchant ; he died in 1922; Mrs. Bergstrom is a resident of Worcester.

Everett E. Bergstrom received the preliminaries of his education in the Millsbury Street public school and was duly graduated from high school. He prepared to enter college at the Classical School, of which he was also a graduate and matriculated at the University of Maine in 1921. Four years later Mr. Bergstrom was graduated from the uni- versity with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and immediately accepted a post in the Brookline Trust Company, Brookline, Massachusetts. Later he was associated with the Massachusetts Commissioner of Banks, in the Boston office, in which capacity he served for four years. In April, 1930, he was made treasurer of the Independent Cooperative Bank, with headquarters in Worcester, a post he has filled with marked success ever since. He is also a director of the Independent Cooperative Bank. Such in brief is the tale of a career filled with hard work and personal achievement and of a man who has traveled fast and far on a road which, in the ordinary course of events, has many mile- stones still to pass.

Mr. Bergstrom, on April 28, 1925, married Cath- erine Reidy, of Worcester, and they are the par- ents of two children: 1. Muriel L., born August 5, 1926. 2. Caroline Eloise, born February 10, 1930. Mr. and Mrs. Bergstrom reside at No. 292 Lovell Street, Worcester.

REAR-ADMIRAL RALPH EARLE, U. S. N. -In 1925 Worcester Polytechnic Institute deprived the United States Navy of one of its best officers to serve as the president of this important institu- tion. As was said of him at this time by a col- league in the navy, "Captain Earle has had the practical experience in the field of education through his various activities as a teacher in the Naval Academy. He has for many years been occupied in responsible and arduous administrative positions, at the Naval Training Ground, in the Philippine Islands, at the Torpedo Station, and preëminently as chief of the Bureau of Ordnance during our participation in the World War. He has dealt with men and affairs in matters of the greatest importance, and often under circumstances almost inconceivablefficult. Utterly loyal to those who stood above him, he has had in an unusual degree the gift of winning and maintain- ing equal loyalty from his subordinates. The qual- ities developed and displayed in the performance of his varied difficulties admirably qualify him for undertaking his task at Worcester Polytechnic In- stitute, and seem to assure for him in the pres- idential chair a career no less successful than that already achieved in the profession to which he has hitherto devoted his talents." This prophecy has had ample and complete fulfillment in the re- markable success of Admiral Earle as an educator and administrator of the institute which is so effectively training young men for leadership in the world of science and engineering, and for loyal patriotic citizenship.

Captain Ralph Earle, president of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is a native of Worcester, born in 1874, a scion of pioneer New England fam- ilies who were among the early settlers of Leices- ter, Massachusetts. He was educated in the public schools of his native place, entered Worcester Polytechnic Institute in January, 1892. A few months later he won, through competitive examina- tion, appointment to the United States Naval Acad- emy, from which he was graduated in 1896. The young graduate from Annapolis was commissioned ensign, May 6, 1898. The record of his further promotions follows : Lieutenant, Junior Grade, May 6, 1901; Lieutenant, March 3, 1903; Lieutenant- Commander, September 7, 1908; Commander, July I, 1915; Chief of the Bureau of Ordnance, with rank of Rear-Admiral, December 23, 1916. On May 5, 1920, after practically all his war contracts had been adjusted, he left the post of chief of Ordnance for sea duty in command of the "Con- necticut," taking the rank of captain, to which the years had advanced him. Captain Earle's naval service fell within the period of two wars, that with Spain, and the World War. He served on the "Massachusetts" from 1896 to 1898. From April to September, 1898, he was the navigator and a watch officer on the "Hornet," participating in the battles of Manzanillo, June 30 and July 18, of that year. In September, 1898, he was on the "San Francisco," and, from the close of 1898 to 1901, on the "Essex." In 1901 and 1902 he was stationed at the Naval Proving Ground, Indian Head, Maryland. In 1902 and 1903 he was on the "Lancaster"; from May to October, 1903, on the "Yankee," and from the close of 1903 to 1905, on the "Missouri."

Captain Earle was executive officer on the "Arkansas" from June to September, 1915, and during the next year was head of the Department of Ordnance and Gunnery at the Naval Academy. From June to August, 1916, he was head of the Department of English at the academy, in addition to his regular department. From September to December of that year, he was in command of the Naval Proving Ground at Indian Head, and on December 23, 1916, when Commander Earle was but forty-two and one-half years of age, he was appointed chief of the Bureau of Ordnance of the Navy Department, with the rank of rear-admiral, being the youngest officer who has ever held that responsible position.

The scope of the bureau's activities during the World War was so great that it would have been inconceivable ten years before. The first and prin- cipal part played by our navy was its share in the defeat of the submarine. The share of the Bureau of Ordnance in this was the provision of armament and ammunition for naval vessels as well as for merchant ships.

Beyond this more or less routine portion of the bureau's work, it originated and had the major part to play in two of the greatest accomplishments of the war-the construction of the Northern Bar- rage and the design and construction of 14-inch 50 calibre railway batteries that saw active service in France. The first of these achievements was the culminating step in the combating of the submarine. The second resulted in the cutting of the enemy's main line of communication, after which, in the words of General Pershing, "nothing but surrender or an armistice could save his army from complete

Banco Z allen.

WORCESTER COUNTY

disaster." Both these outstanding achievements were initiated and material was provided for them by the Bureau of Ordnance under the direction and constant supervision of its chief.

On the announcement of his desire to resign as chief of the bureau, Rear-Admiral Earle received from Josephus Daniels, then Secretary of the Navy, the following eloquent tribute of his work:

I cannot express to you in words my regret in recommending to the President the acceptance of your resignation, and I am sure he will accept it with regret, as he has been kept informed of the truly wonderful service rendered by the Bureau of Ordnance during the World War, and will join me in appreciation of the signal service which you have rendered your country in a period of crisis.

The daily association and the comradeship in endeavor and hard work has been most grateful to me, and it must be gratifying to you to know the high estimate placed upon the services of the Bureau of Ordnance under your administration. It is not only true that this high estimate is placed on it by your associates in the Naval service, but by the country at large, for the origination of the Mine Barrage, the making of a type of mine which revolutionized warfare, the conception and execu- tion of the big guns we sent to France, the acquisi- tion of the proving grounds, the completion of the projectile plant and torpedo factory, the founda- tions for the new armor plant, and a score of other great enterprises begun under your administration and carried out with such honor to the Navy, will constitute one of the finest chapters of Naval achievement in its whole history.

Upon his retirement from the Bureau of Ord- nance, Captain Earle commanded the "Connecticut" cruising in the Pacific, Atlantic, Caribbean, and North Sea on sea duty until October 10, 1921, when he was made chief of staff of Control Force, with the U. S. S. "Florida" as flagship cruising in the Atlantic and Caribbean sea. On May 31, 1922, after a course at the Naval War College he took command of the Naval Torpedo Station at New- port, Rhode Island. On May 25, 1925, he received leave of absence in order to assume the presidency of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, one of the oldest and most distinguished engineering colleges in the United States.

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.

Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 17

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933 Publication date: 1934 Publisher: New York, American historical Society Number of Pages: 700

Author: Nelson, John, 1866-1933
Publication date: 1934
Publisher: New York, American historical Society
Number of Pages: 700