Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 3

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

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WILLIAM BACON SCOFIELD-Few men in the history of Worcester have played a more prominent part in the business, cultural and civic life of the community than William Bacon Scofield, who, as a writer, editor, business man and artist, contributed abundantly to the welfare and hap- piness of this city.

Mr. Scofield was born in Hartford, Connecticut, February 8, 1865, the son of James Monroe and Madilia (Hoche) Scofield. When he was only a year old, the family moved to Worcester, and he received his general education in the public schools here, as well as attending Adams Acad- emy for the purpose of preparing himself to enter Harvard University. He also studied under Dr. William Everett, headmaster of the former institu- tion, and entered Harvard with the class of 1887, remaining in the college less than three years and attending the law school there for one year. Dur- ing his collegiate career he was one of the most popular students of the university, acting as sec- retary of his class, manager of the class baseball team, one of the original members of the first faculty-student advisory board on athletics and a

ED Theayer

WORCESTER COUNTY

member of the Hasty Pudding Club and Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.

Shortly after completing his education here he became a reporter for the Worcester "Evening Gazette," edited at the time by the late Charles H. Doe. He soon became city editor for the pub- lication and remained at this post until 1892, when he became treasurer of the Worcester Thread Company, a position he maintained until 1900, when this concern was sold to the Linen Thread Company of America. Three years later he became associated with his brother-in-law, the late Edward Davis Thayer, in the manufacture of weaving ma- chinery, being operated under the firm name of the Crompton-Thayer Loom Company. In 1907 this business was sold to the Crompton and Knowles Loom Works. During his business ca- reer with this concern Mr. Scofield also pur- chased an interest in the Standard Fibre Company of Somerville, Massachusetts, and still retained this affiliation in the capacity of director at the time of his death.

The latter part of his life he devoted to writ- ing and developing his sculptural talents under one of the foremost artists in this type of work in the world, Gutzon Borglum. He published two books of verse during this period, illustrated with pic- torial reproductions of his work in clay.

His multifarious activities linked him with many of the leading social and civic organizations, not only of Worcester, but also of some of the large Eastern cities. He served as president of the Omar Khayyam Club of America, was founder of the Scribblers Club, and held memberships in the following organizations : the National Press Club of Washington, District of Columbia; the Boston Authors Club; the Edgartown Yacht Club, the Yellow Label Club; the Worcester Fire Society ; the Harvard Club of Boston; the Quinsigamond Boat Club and the Association of Mutual Aid in Detecting Thieves.

In December, 1919, Mr. Scofield married Mrs. Myrtis Sigourney Harrington, widow of Gilbert H. Harrington, who was the founder and president of the Harrington and Richardson Arms Company.

Mr. Scofield passed away January 22, 1930. His death deprived the community of one of its most intelligent and gifted citizens who throughout life came to be loved and admired for his genial per- sonality, his sincere appreciation of the beautiful and the kindness he exhibited towards his fellow- men.

EDWARD DAVIS THAYER-The history of the industries of Worcester could not be written comprehensively without repeated mention of Ed- ward Davis Thayer, of whom it has been said that "he was one of the most prominent woolen manufacturers in the East and probably the largest individual woolen manufacturer in the United States." His interest in the city, of which he was a native son and to the development of which he was keenly devoted, was constructive and of emi- nent importance. There were, indeed, few phases of life, industrial, financial, civic, humanitarian and social, in which he did not play an outstand- ing rôle.

Edward Davis Thayer was born in Worcester, June 24, 1856, a son of Edward Davis Thayer, Sr., and Ellen M. (Darling) Thayer. The father was also prominent in the woolen industry, was

born in Mendon, July 22, 1822, and died in Wor- cester, May 12, 1903. In 1849 he went in business for himself, making woolen goods in Burrillville, Rhode Island, and later became a partner of Moses Buffum at North Oxford, Worcester County, Mas- sachusetts, and manufactured black woolen cloth until 1855, when Mr. Thayer sold his interests in the industry. For a short time thereafter he was associated as a minor partner with the Slater Com- pany in Webster, Massachusetts. Not long after the beginning of the Civil War, Mr. Thayer, about 1863, was sent to England to purchase machinery for the Washington Mills at Lawrence, Massachu- setts, whose factories were then under construction. Subsequently, for two years, he served these mills, which later became the nucleus of the American Woolen Company, as agent. In 1865 he came to Worcester, where for two decades he was a man- ufacturer of woolens. He married Ellen M. Dar- ling, who died on May 16, 1887, and they were the parents of four children: I. Albert S. 2. Ed- ward Davis, Jr., of whom further. 3. Ellen Olive (Mrs. Samuel H. Clary.) 4. Ernest L., news- paperman, manufacturer, traveler and the author of that baseball epic "Casey at the Bat."

The grandfather of Edward Davis Thayer, of this review, Henry Thayer, was born in Mendon, November 3, 1777, and died July 7, 1824; he was a merchant, farmer and tavern-keeper. He mar- ried, September 3, 1800, Urana Thompson, daugh- ter of Edward Thompson, of Mendon. She died August 29, 1859, aged eighty years. Henry Thayer was one of the sixth generation from the pioneer of the Thayer family in this country. Thomas Thayer came with his brother, Richard Thayer, from Thornbury, England, and settled in Brain- tree, Massachusetts. They were shoemakers by trade. Thomas Thayer came before 1639 and died June 2, 1665; he married, at Thornbury, in 1618, Margery Wheeler. The line of ancestry is: Ed- ward D. (7), Henry (6), Peletia (5), John (4), Captain Thomas (3), Ferdinando (2), who was a son of Thomas (1), mentioned above. Ferdinando Thayer was a soldier in King Philip's War and was the first of the family in Mendon. Mr. Thayer was descended in most, if not all, his other lines of ancestry from the old Colonial settlers of Mas- sachusetts. Among those pioneers was Henry Adams, ancestor of the Presidents, John and John Quincy Adams.

Edward Davis Thayer, the younger, whose name heads this review, prepared for college in the Worcester High School, entered Lawrence Scien- tific School of Harvard University at the age of sixteen and was graduated with the highest honors (summa cum laude) in 1876, receiving the degree of Civil Engineer. He excelled in scholarship, led his class in mathematics, and was a remarkable all- round athlete, the strongest member of the 'varsity crew in 1876, although the youngest. The combina- tion of a remarkable mind in a sound body possibly accounts, in part, for his success in mature life.

As was customary in the leading families of that period, Mr. Thayer's education was supplemented with a grand tour of Europe. And in the same fashion, when he returned home, it was not to idleness, but to good, hard work in the learning of whatsoever profession or business he chose. His choice was the woolen industry, and to the end that he might learn this in all its phases, he became associated with his father in mills located

WORCESTER COUNTY

in Cherry Valley and the Slater Mills at Webster. Three years after his graduation he went in business for himself in the Hunt Mills in Cherry Valley. Under his direction the business expanded so quickly that he leased the Bottomly Mill, also located in Cherry Valley, and the mill at Tatnuck, and as a member of the firm of Avery and Thayer began the manufacture of a very high-grade of woolens at the Norfolk Mill in Dedham. Eight years after entering the business, he retired from the operation of these smaller mills and purchased the large Ashworth and Jones Mill in Cherry Valley and operated it the remainder of his life. He acquired a controlling interest in the Worces- ter Woolen Mill Company, formerly known as the Adriatic Mills, acting as its president and treasurer. In 1896 he extended his interests still further by purchasing the Harding Mills of Edgar Harding of the firm of Harding and Whitman. This property was on the Charles River, one of the oldest mill sites in the country. This he oper- ated for the manufacture of woolen cloth and the dyeing and preparation of cotton, under the names of the Merchants' Woolen Mill and Merchants' Dye Works. He was one of the partners in the Crompton-Thayer Loom Works of this city, which just before his death was purchased by the Cromp- ton and Knowles Loom Works. In the loom busi- ness he exhibited a remarkable ingenuity for the construction and development of the loom and other textile machinery. He invented a shuttle change- motion, which effected such an improvement in fancy looms that the weaver was able to run four looms where he had previously run two.

Mr. Thayer was a director of the Worcester Trust Company and a trustee of the Worcester County Institution for Savings, and had been previously a director of the City National Bank. He was a member of the Worcester Club, the Commonwealth Club, the Tatnuck Country Club, the Grafton Country Club, the Quinsigamond Boat Club, the Eastern Yacht Club of Marblehead and the Country Club of Brookline. He was fond of physical exercise and the out-of-doors all his life. His farm in Holden appealed to his love of the soil and the things that grew upon it. His yacht bore him to many loved places along the Atlantic Coast. He had a summer estate near Boston, and his Wor- cester residence on Elm Street was the house built by Jonas G. Clark, the founder of Clark University.

On July 10, 1884, Edward Davis Thayer married Florence, daughter of James M. and Madilia (Hoche) Scofield, and they were the parents of a son, Scofield, born in Worcester, December 12, I889.

Edward Davis Thayer died on July 17, 1907, in Worcester. It was written of him: "His death in the prime of life was a great loss to the city and State. His energy and ability were remarkable. He achieved a record of great success in a very difficult field; he was an expert in his line of business, one of the best judges of woolen goods and of the materials used in his mills ; possessing thorough knowledge of every mechanical opera- tion and an apparently instinctive and unerring judgment of the capacity of men serving under him." What he accomplished has become a part of the fabric of the life and history of New Eng- land and the Nation, and the positive value of his achievements must abide so long as the Republic endures. To the generation which took up the

work where he left off his career may well serve as an example and inspiration .

Scofield Thayer attended Milton Academy and was graduated from Harvard University in 1913, the recipient of both the Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Arts. In October of 1913 he matricu- lated at Oxford in Magdalen College. In 1915 he returned to America and for a period of years was editor of "The Dial," a magazine acknowledged to be a leader in the field of modern letters and art.

JOHN E. WHITE-Banker, public official and man of large affairs, John E. White has been a prominent figure in Worcester and Massachusetts life for many years. As president of the Worces- ter Bank and Trust Company and of several busi- ness enterprises, he directed their affairs with con- spicuous success, while to his duties as an officer of the State, he brought the same ability and energy which distinguished his business career. Although in recent years he has relinquished many of his responsibilities, he continues his influence through his varied and important connections.

Mr. White was born in Lawrence, Massachu- setts, on December 13, 1873. He received his edu- cation in Massachusetts schools and began his active career, as an office boy, in the National Pemberton Bank. Through the merit of his ser- vices he won gradual promotion and finally was called to the position of cashier of the Martha's Vineyard National Bank when only twenty-one years of age. He was promoted from time to time and in 1905 became president of this bank. In 1915 he came to Worcester as president of the Worces- ter National Bank, continuing his connection with this institution after it was merged with Worcester Trust Company to form the Worcester Bank and Trust Company. Over a period of years he was chairman of the board of the Worcester Bank and Trust Company, and his leadership was a decisive factor in its continued growth and success. In October, 1932, he retired as chairman of the board.

Mr. White has been interested in many other Worcester enterprises. He was formerly president and is now a director of the Denholm and Mckay Department Store of Worcester, and of the Graton and Knight Company. He is a director of the Worcester Street Railways, the New England Steamship Company, and the Wyman-Gordon Company.

In spite of the many demands which business makes upon him, Mr. White has given much time and effort to the service of the State and to vari- ous civic movements. In 1905 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, being elected to that body as a Republican while living in Martha's Vineyard. In 1910-II he was a member of the State Senate, and in 1912-13 occu- pied the office of State Auditor. In all these offices he met his duties with fidelity and efficiency, con- sidering their performance no less worthy of his best efforts than his own affairs. Mr. White's broad business and financial experience, his dem- onstrated soundness of judgment have been of great value to every institution with which he has been associated. His public spirit is unquestioned and he has always used his influence wisely for the benefit of his State and city as a whole. He is a member of the Worcester Club, the Tatnuck Country Club of Worcester, and is a former presi-

WORCESTER COUNTY

dent of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and in this order is a member of all the higher bodies including the Commandery of the Knights Templar, and the Consistory, An- cient Accepted Scottish Rite, in which he holds the thirty-second degree.

In October, 1895, John E. White married Martha Hosmer Proctor, of Billerica, Massachu- setts. They are the parents of one daughter, Kath- arine Proctor.

IRVING HERBERT VERRY, director and vice-president of the Crompton and Knowles Com- pany, is a self-made man and in the main a self- taught engineer, who has run the whole gamut of offices in the corporation above-mentioned. He was born October II, 1873, the son of Herbert W. and Jessie W. (Clark) Verry, both of whom are now deceased. He was educated in the public schools, and as a lad of seventeen began the asso- ciation with the Crompton and Knowles Company which has continued to the present.

Mr. Verry's first job was that of apprentice in the drafting room of the concern, and he was for- tunate in finding something to do which interested him greatly. That interest, no doubt, was based on native talents and abilities, but he not only showed an aptitude for his work, but a willingness to do more than was asked of him. It is said of him that his insatiable desire for knowledge always led him into doing not only the task that was his, but that of some other employee. Whatever the reason, the youthful Mr. Verry learned more about the industry than his own department taught, and he was assigned to this section and that of the business, eventually being transferred to the engi- neering department. Here he remained for about a decade, and was then elevated to the sales en- gineering department, the general sales, and in 1913 was made a secretary of the development board and a director. In 1917 he was elected vice- president, which post he now holds. Mr. Verry was one of the originators of the "Development Board" established in 1917, probably one of, if not the chief, constructive factor in the success of the corporation.

Mr. Verry has been but little inclined to lodges and purely social organizations unconnected with his work. He is a member of the Board of Gov- ernors of the Worcester Club, and finds outlet for his liking for sports and recreation as a member of the Tatnuck Country and the Kittansett Coun- try clubs. He, in an unostentatious way, is active in civic and welfare movements, and constructively interested in the promotion of the progress of Worcester. But it must be said as in the begin- ning, that he is best known for his long experience and original research and work in the mechanical and sales engineering of his business.

In 1904, Irving Herbert Verry married Harriet Frances Tyler, of Clinton, Massachusetts, and they are the parents of three daughters, all of whom are now college graduates: I. Rosamond, the wife of William B. Holmsley, and the mother of a daughter, Natica Holmsley. 2. Deborah. 3.

Virginia.

IRVING T. F. RING-The business and pro- fessional career of Irving T. F. Ring, counsel of the State Mutual Life Assurance Company of

Worcester, Massachusetts, has been almost wholly associated with that large corporation. He is a native of Maine, born July 9, 1897, son of John G. and Ada M. (Fogg) Ring, the former of whom was for many years prominent in the granite quar- rying industry of Mount Desert Island in Maine. He also was of Maine birth and died in 1932; Mrs. Ring was born at Norwood, Massachusetts, and is still a resident of the State.

Irving T. F. Ring was educated in the public graded and high schools, and Boston University. He entered the employ of the State Mutual Life Assurance Company shortly after he had reached his majority, and functioned well in the claim de- partment of the corporation for several years. He realized, however, that with the proper technical training, he could hold a higher post and one more suited to his capabilities. To this end Mr. Ring studied law in Northeastern College and was grad- uated with the class of 1923, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. For a year he engaged in a general practice of his profession, in the meantime making a concentrated study of the legal side of the life insurance business. In 1924 he returned to the State Mutual Life as assistant to Chandler Bullock, general counsel, and who in 1927 became president of the company and Mr. Ring succeeded him as head of this department.

During the World War Mr. Ring served in the United States Navy. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Free and Accepted Masons, and is a member of all bodies including the Blue Lodge and all the Scottish Rite bodies including the Con- sistory, in which he has attained the 32d degree. His principal club is the Exchange Club, and he is a member of the Chamber of Commerce, both of Worcester. He is a member of the Tatnuck Country Club. He keeps up professional connec- tions with his colleagues in the law as a member of the Worcester County, the Massachusetts State and the American Bar associations. He is a mem- ber of the Massachusetts Historical and Genealog- ical Society, and deeply interested in history and the persons who assisted in making history. He is also a member of the Worcester Country Club, Worcester Congregational Society, of which he was treasurer for a number of years, and of the Worcester Central Association, of which he is now treasurer. Of Worcester he is justly proud and in an unostentatious fashion, a genuine pro- moter of its development.

In 1923 Irving T. F. Ring married Miriam I. Manning, a native of Massachusetts, and they are the parents of two children: I. Gardner M., born September 14, 1924. 2. Gretchen L., born October 17, 1928.

"WORCESTER EVENING POST"-To tell in a few paragraphs the story of a great newspaper is as feasible as painting a large canvas with a fountain pen. Chronologically, the "Worcester Evening Post" was born September 23, 1891, fathered by Attorney John H. Johnson and cared for by a group of nurses known as "The Post Printing Company." This name was changed to the Worcester Post Company, with editorial and business offices located in the old postoffice build- ing on Pearl Street. The printing plant was housed in a store on Church Street, and the press used was of the simplest "country" kind. Early

WORCESTER COUNTY

in 1892 two practical printers, Oscar H. Wiggin and William W. Knight bought shares in the com- pany, and offices were moved to what was later used by the Worcester Market as a store house. The first seven years of its existence brought no luck in that Biblical period and number.

In the autumn of 1898, Eugene W. Moriarty took over the whole organization, and in February, 1899, the plant was removed to Nos. 559-61 Main Street, better known as Franklin Square. Three linotype machines and a new printing press were purchased, the latter capable of turning out eight pages seven columns wide. On June 17, 1907, the "Post" had a battery of seven linotypes, a twenty- four page Goss press, capable of putting out a twelve page paper at the rate of 25,000 per hour. At that time the "Post" was the only afternoon paper printed in English, published in Central Mas- sachusetts, which had a certificate of examination of American Advertisers. The date June 17, 1907, is mentioned because it is the day on which the "Post" issued a forty-page paper, genuine evi- dence that the baby had grown up. Mr. Moriarty was a former member of the State Legislature who had given up a promising political career to devote himself to journalism. He promoted many projects which were of help to Worcester, published a live paper which grew in favor. Although Peter A. Conlin was associated with him in the company, and Fred McPherson, of Boston, was editor-in- chief, the policies of the "Post" and its success were mainly Mr. Moriarty's. He died in 1907, greatly mourned by a city who appreciated his worth. Mrs. Moriarty remained in control of the "Post" during the following seven years and did a splendid job of her difficult task.

In February, 1914, John H. Fahey, then man- ager of the Associated Press, and a former pub- lisher of the "Boston Traveler," purchased the interests of Mrs. Moriarty and Mrs. Peter A. Conlin, which marked the beginning of another stage in the development of the "Post." Mr. Fahey was experienced in the managing of metro- politan journals of the first class, and under his régime the "Worcester Post" progressed until it has now one of the most modern newspaper plants in a city the size of Worcester. It owns and occu- pies a building on Federal Street constructed for its particular needs to which it moved August 19, 1916. Fast and large machinery and presses have been installed to meet the constantly increasing re- quirements. The third floor of the "Post Building" was taken over for use by the paper in 1922. On July I of that same year it published one of the finest editions ever issued by a Worcester paper in connection with the two hundredth anniversary celebration. Ownership of the building by the "Post" was effected January 1, 1926. In 1931 the fortieth anniversary of the "Post" was celebrated with an appropriate edition.

The "Post" specializes on printing the news, not only that of Worcester and the contiguous ter- ritory, but also of the State and world, and of all phases of human activity. From the physical stand- point, it issues daily the equivalent of a 320-page book. In a year, 4,000,000 pounds of paper, or eighty carloads are used, and 50,000 pounds of ink. For the daily production and distribution of the "Post" it requires the services of two hundred em- ployees and 575 carriers. The management and

editorial staff of "The Worcester Evening Post" includes: Administrative: John H. Fahey, presi- dent and publisher; James J. Conroy, treasurer and general manager, and William F. Lucey, secretary, Editorial: George T. Richardson, editor; Clarence L. Wilson, managing editor, and William J. Lar- kin, city editor. Circulation: Harold H. Sloan, circulating manager. Advertising department : Joseph H. Powers, director of advertising; John J. Sullivan, Jr., national advertising manager; James C. Hourihan, creative advertising manager; Fred H. Snyder, office manager. Mechanical depart- ments: Martin B. Casey, superintendent of com- posing room; Charles F. Trainor, superintendent of stereotype department, and John H. Shays, superintendent of press room.

The modern newspaper is far more than a mere purveyor of news. It is a constructive force in the development and betterment of the community. It attacks evil, of whatever sort, and sponsors drives, campaigns, activities of a charitable, civic, human- itarian, political character. The "Post" launched the campaign and contributed the sales of one day's papers to purchase a clubhouse for the Worcester Boys' Club; it also, in 1915, established The Post Christmas Club, which brought happiness to un- fortunate youngsters all over the city. It sponsored movements for a better fire-alarm system, the elim- ination of grade crossings, better streets, the con- trol of public utilities, and countless others. The people of Worcester owe the "Post" a debt of gratitude for the fight it waged for lower electric and gas rates. It stood alone in this lengthy bat- tle, but won, and fifty thousand were benefited to the amount of $3,000,000 savings. It made the long campaign for the building of a municipal auditorium, which is about to become a reality. During the World War period, "The Post's" con- tribution to all the many activities of that time were exceedingly valuable, and even before that event it was instrumental in looking after Worcester's soldiers on the Mexican Border, even as it later in a thousand ways kept the boys in the camps and overseas always in the minds and hearts of the citizens of the city.

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 3

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