Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 34

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

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and as one "to whose memory a grateful profes- sion throughout the entire world has erected a memorial shaft in Woodlawn Cemetery, New York," adding that "if everyone to whom he did some loving service should bring a blossom to his grave, he would sleep 'mid a wilderness of flowers." Thus Captain McCrea recognized the influence which shaped his professional standards and energ- ized his future work in his chosen field.

In 1894, after two years as assistant to Profes- sor Renouard, Captain McCrea came to Worces- ter and entered the employ of the George Ses- sions Sons Company, funeral directors and em- balmers and while there he was the first to intro- duce arterial embalming. For fifteen years he con- tinued this connection, gaining a thorough prac- tical experience and making a wide acquaintance in the city. Then, in 1909, he realized the ambition which had long been his and opened at No. 120 Franklin Street a business of his own. Six months later he admitted to partnership, under the fırın name of McCrea and Flanagan, John T. Flanagan, a former member of the State Legislature. Under Captain McCrea's vigorous management the busi- ness grew rapidly and its founder became one of the most progressive members of the profession. Through the magazines which he founded early in his career his influence became as wide as the limits of the profession and he became an inspiring voice giving in clear tones the call to higher standards and more sanitary practice.

In 1917, upon the entrance of the United States into the World War, he was appointed overseas secretary of the Knights of Columbus, whose head- quarters were in New York City, and served with the American Expeditionary Forces on the Vosges and Argonne fronts and in the Toul sector. In 1920 he was commissioned by the United States Government to return to France as superintendent of the corps of trained workers entrusted with the task of exhuming and bringing home the bodies of thousands of American soldiers who had fallen in service. Under his direction, during a period of eighteen months, sometimes working night and day, 42,000 bodies were exhumed embalmed, placed in caskets containing air-tight linings, placed on board a fleet of five transports, and brought home to waiting families for permanent burial.

In 1927 Captain McCrea purchased the business of T. H. Murphy and Sons, located at No. 842 Main Street, and this concern, which he operated until his death under the name of the McCrea Funeral Service, he made one of the largest and best equipped establishments of its kind in the city of Worcester. So large and conveniently arranged are the rooms of his funeral parlors, which occupy the entire first floor of the building, that two funerals can be conducted at the same time without interference. Captain McCrea gave the full benefit of his wide experience and his undivided attention to the service of his patrons, and his care for details, his genuinely sympathetic desire to make difficult times as easy as possible, and his business integrity gained for him the reputation as one of the most competent funeral directors not only in Worcester, but in the State of Massachusetts.

Throughout his long career of more than forty years he strove consistently for higher standards and more general scientific knowledge in mortuary service, and to this end he used his magazine, "The Issue," for inspiration and the dissemination

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of information, also as a means of securing co- operation in putting through protective legislation. As one of the pioneers in the movement to regulate the practice of funeral directing and embalming in the United States, following Professor Edouard Renouard, he was widely known, and during his administration as president of the Massachusetts Embalmers Association, from 1901 to 1904, he introduced the first legislation regulating the reg- istration of embalmers in Massachusetts. In 1905 he was appointed by the Governor a member of the board of registration in embalming, and at the annual convention of the Massachusetts Undertak- ers Association in Springfield, in June, 1916, he was elected secretary. It was while secretary of this association that he founded the quarterly maga- zine, "The Issue," a magazine devoted to the inter- ests of the undertakers of the State, through which he exerted a wide influence. The "Telegram" said of him soon after his election: "Mr. McCrea is * conceded to be the most active and the most suc- cessful secretary the association has had in years. . He has earned state-wide prestige among undertakers by his work as editor of "The Issue.'" Mr. McCrea was a forceful writer and in an article published in "The Issue" under the title of "The Evolution of Funeral Service in America" made clear his belief that truthful publicity must, in the business of the mortician as in other fields of human activity, become the basis upon which progress could develop, that the public should know the difference between expert, scientific service and that of an inferior order, and that by government regulation all that is inferior should be eliminated. Tracing the evolution of the mortician of today from "the old sexton" and the coffin-maker, he paid tribute to those early men who, too often, were accused of robbing the people by overcharging, while they were, in reality furnishing a vast amount of service free of charge by giving needy families receipted bills or by allowing bills to remain uncol- lected, and made an earnest plea for fair judgment and a proper estimate of the services which the mortician renders to the community. Politically, Mr. McCrea was an independent and he never aspired to public office. He was a past treasurer of Father Fitton Court, Catholic Order of Fore- sters, and he was formerly an attendant of St. John's Roman Catholic Church, but in later years was an attendant of St. Paul's Roman Catholic Church.

Henry Stephen McCrea married, October 7, 1903, Eva M. Martin, who was born in Worcester in 1870, daughter of Andrew Martin, a native of Dublin, Ireland, and of Margaret (O'Brien) Mar- tin, born in Kilkenny, Ireland, and died in 1908. Mr. and Mrs. McCrea became the parents of two sons, both associated in business with their father : I. Paul Gordon, born October 12, 1904, assistant manager of McCrea Funeral Service. 2. Edwin Andrew, born October 1, 1906, secretary of McCrea Funeral Service.

FREDERICK F. BERINGER-By a long and hard route, Frederick F. Beringer, of Worces- ter, has arrived at prominence as an attorney-at- law with an ever increasing clientele. He was gifted with marked abilities, not the least of which was a capacity for concentrated hard work, and has won both his position as a lawyer and the admiration of his professional associates and col-

leagues by his carefully considered and thoroughly prepared presentation of cases in the courts. His personal taste is for the activities of the court rather than the office, to serve as a counselor and guide instead of appearing before judge and jury. He is fortunate in being of ancestry widely sep- arated in nationality. He was born at Worcester, September 9, 1899, the son of Nicholas L. and Mary T. (Maloney) Beringer. His father was a native of Germany, while his mother was of Wor- cester birth, is of Irish descent. The senior Mr. Beringer has been in the employ of the Boston and Maine Railroad Company for a number of years.

The youthful Frederick F. Beringer had his way in life to make by his own efforts. He was given the education of the public schools and was grad- uated from Worcester High School. He started out to make a livelihood for himself and in the ordinary course of events might have been engaged in commerce all the rest of his life. He had the instincts of the student and the intellectual, and his ambitions were for a professional career. Earn- ing and saving, he went ahead when he could do so, and went to Boston to study in Northeastern University. In 1925 he was graduated with the degree of Bachelor of Laws and that same year was admitted to the bar of Massachusetts and began the practice of his profession in Worcester. While that practice still remains largely general in character, Mr. Beringer is naturally a specialist and is coming to be recognized as an authority upon certain phases of the law, particularly as they affect corporations and the holding of real estate. He frequently appears in jury trials both of a civil and criminal nature, possibly because of an early aptitude in that direction, but more likely because he wishes to keep in touch with the prog- ress of trial jurisprudence.

Mr. Beringer has been honored with election to the common council of his city and has been useful in promoting the better development of the municipality and the welfare of its people. He has high ideals of the duties and privileges of citizen- ship and has manifested both the desire and the ability to serve his community sincerely and well Fraternally, he is affiilated with the Knights of Columbus, and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division No. 36.

On November 26, 1927, Frederick F. Beringer married Mary A. Devin, of Worcester, and they are the parents of a daughter, Jane Marie, born August 29, 1930.

WILLIAM HAMILTON COE-The history of Worcester County would not be complete if it failed to contain a record of the life and works of William Hamilton Coe, who, starting early in life with the Jefferson Manufacturing Company, spent practically his entire career in this association and had served as president of the concern for sev- eral years before his death. His interest in the firm's employees, his participation in community affairs, his wide knowledge of civic and business affairs, stamp him as one who was an honor to the city he loved so well.

Mr. Coe was born in Worcester, March 4, 1840, a son of William H. and Elizabeth (Hamilton) Coe, natives of Worcester. He attended public schools and obtained a position with Howe and Jefferson, woolen manufacturers, of Worcester. He continued with the company, and in 1906 the enter-

Francis L. Con

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prise was incorporated as the Jefferson Manufac- turing Company. The first president was M. B. V. Jefferson, and Mr. Coe was treasurer. Upon the death of Mr. Jefferson in 1907 Mr. Coe became president, and Jefferson W. Coe, son of W. H. Coe, becaine treasurer. In 1920 J. W. Coe died and his brother, Robert H., succeeded to the treasurer's position. A brief history of the company and its operations will be found in the accompanying arti- cle, describing the career of Francis L. Coe, son of W. H. Coe. The latter was personally interested in the welfare and betterment of the firm's em- ployees and, contributing much to their comfort, was loved by them for his efforts on their behalf.

Well known in fraternal and club circles, Mr. Coe was a member of the Masonic Order, the Worcester Club, the Commonwealth Club, the Quin- sigamond Boat Club, and the Homemarkers Club of Boston.

Mr. Coe married Florence A. Jefferson, daughter of M. B. V. and Augusta A. (Howe) Jefferson, and they were the parents of three children: I. Jefferson W. 2. Robert H. 3. Francis L. (q. v.).

William Hamilton Coe died in January, 1929. His death removed a figure of prominence from Worcester life, and brought deep sorrow to the many who knew him. His courage and vision were an inspiration to his fellow-citizens, and he will be remembered for his goodness of heart and life.

FRANCIS L. COE-In Worcester County, Francis L. Coe has been associated with business activities throughout practically the whole of his business career. Most of his work has been with the Jefferson Manufacturing Company, woolen man- ufacturers. Of this organization, he was made treasurer and general manager in 1929 and has so continued down to the time of writing.

Mr. Coe was born on April 22, 1894, in Wor- cester, son of William Hamilton (q. v.) and Flo- rence A. (Jefferson) Coe. His father, who was also a woolen manufacturer, was formerly presi- dent of the Jefferson Manufacturing Company. In the public schools Francis L. Coe received his early education, afterward attending Boston University Law School. Then, turning to business to seek a livelihood, he became connected with the Jefferson Manufacturing Company, of which his father was the head, at Jefferson, Worcester County. Of this company, he was made treasurer and general man- ager in 1929, as noted above, Originally the Jeffer- son organization was a co-partnership, started un- der the name of Howe and Jefferson. It so con- tinued until 1906, when the enterprise was incor- porated under the present name of the Jefferson Manufacturing Company. The first president was M. B. V. Jefferson; and the grandfather of the man whose name heads this review, W. H. Coe, was treasurer. Mr. Jefferson died in 1907 and was succeeded in the president's chair by W. H. Coe, who admitted his son, Jefferson W. Coe, to the business as treasurer. The two men ran the busi- ness together until 1920, when Jefferson W. Coe died and Robert H. Coe was made treasurer. W. H. Coe died in 1929, since which Robert H. Coe has been president of the company and Francis I. Coe treasurer and general manager. Homer A. Lucas is clerk. The Jefferson mills operate one hundred looms, employ upwards of two hundred and fifty people, and distribute their woolens

throughout the United States. The excellent qual- ity of their goods has caused the Jefferson Man- ufacturing Company to be widely known in the woolen and textile trades, and at the same time the executive officers of the company have sought consistently to provide for the comfort and better- ment of their employees.

Quite aside from his work with this organiza- tion, Mr. Coe has been active in civic and social life. He belongs to the Free and Accepted Masons, being affiliated with Quinsigamond Lodge. He is likewise affiliated with the Commonwealth Club, the Quinsigamond Boat Club and the Chamber of Commerce. He is a Protestant in his religious faith. Mr. Coe's work has also included military service rendered to his country; for, during the World War, he enlisted in the United States Naval Reserves and was stationed at Newport, Rhode Is- land. Each of the groups with which he is asso- ciated has in some definite way gained from his activities in its behalf, with the result that he is widely known and esteemed. He is liked by many friends and by the people of Worcester County with whom he comes into contact, especially by those who have occasion to observe at close range his work at the Jefferson Manufacturing Company, where he has done a wonderful piece of work as general manager. In his spare time, he is fond of outdoor recreations and all forms of healthful sports.

In 1927, Francis L. Coe married Verna E. Hol- lander, of Medford, Massachusetts, daughter of Sven G. and Hulda E. (Lofberg) Hollander. By this marriage there was born, on February 5, 1930, a daughter, Louisa Florence Coe. The Coe fam- ily residence is situated in the city of Worcester, though Mr. Coe's business headquarters are in Jefferson.

JOHN F. McGRATH-There are few phases of the life and affairs of Worcester in which John F. McGrath, attorney-at-law, has not played a more or less prominent rôle. Brilliant of mind and versatile in abilities and interests, he has contrib- uted no small part to the advancement of his native city along many lines. He is a son of the late Thomas E. and the late Elizabeth T. (O'Connor ) McGrath, descendants of families who settled in Worcester over a century ago.

John F. McGrath was born in Worcester, Jan- uary 10, 1881, and attended its public schools. He prepared to enter the higher schools of education at the Classical School, from which he was grad- uated in 1898. He then matriculated at Holy Cross College, where he took a many-sided inter- est in its activities, and was graduated with honors in the class of 1902, being one of the speakers at the Commencement exercises. With his Bachelor's degree in Arts he went to Boston University to secure technical training in law and was graduated in 1905 with the degree of Bachelor of Laws. During the previous year, 1904, Mr. McGrath suc- cessfully took the bar examinations and was ad- mitted to practice. His school days over, he estab- lished himself in a general practice in Worcester and has since continued. His professional career has been successful and has won for him the repu- tation of being a notably good lawyer, one held in high honor by his colleagues and one who has the complete confidence of a large clientele. He has remained always the student, an indefatigable

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worker, and his profound knowledge of the law is combined with sound judgment and the ability to make clear and penetrating what he has to say.

Mr. McGrath has a certain flair for politics, but no special taste for the holding of political office. He was an efficient member of the State Legis- lature in 1907 and 1908, but would rather do his duty as a citizen or a private individual. He is a student of city government and a genuinely con- structive force in municipal affairs. He is a trus- tee of the Bay State Savings Bank and also of St. Vincent's Hospital. Mr. McGrath is a director of the Industrial Bankers of Worcester, of Worces- ter County. Among his professional connections are memberships in the Worcester County Bar, the Massachusetts Bar and the American Bar asso- ciations. He is also a member of the Boston Uni- versity Law School Alumni Association. Among his clubs are. the University Club of Boston, the Holy Cross Alumni Association, the Worcester Country Club, the Worcester Economic Club, the Worcester County Holy Cross Club, Calvert Club, and the M. C. O. F. He is fraternally affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus. His church is the Immaculate Conception Church of Worcester, and he is a member of the Holy Name Society. Sports, particularly golf, music, civic enterprises, benevo- lent and humanitarian movements all hold for him a keen interest.

On June 26, 1912, Mr. McGrath married Minnie H. Troy, of Worcester. Mrs. McGrath, a graduate of Wellesley College, is the daughter of the late James F. and Mary A. Troy.

BROOKS SHUMAKER was born in Mound City, Illinois, on March 5, 1895, the only living child of E. Ellsworth Shumaker, Ph. D., then pastor of the local Congregational Church and later pastor of the Wood Memorial Congregational Church of Cambridge, Shawmut Congregational Church of Boston, and the First Congregational Church of Adams, Massachusetts; and of Harriet Hall, of the Hall family of Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. The boy received his early educa- tion in the public schools of Cambridge, and then entered Harvard College, from which he was grad- uated in the class of 1916. Immediately after graduating he entered the employ of William Filene's Sons Company as a member of their re- search department, and there he remained until September, 1917, when he entered the service. He was commissioned a provisional second lieutenant of cavalry of the Regular Army and was sent to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, for a three months' course of training. From there he was assigned to duty with the 76th Field Artillery, 3d Division, with which he went overseas in the spring of 1918. He saw service during the three major American offensives, Chateau-Thierry, St. Mihiel and the Argonne Forest. During the latter offen- sive he was severely wounded and spent the next six months convalescing, being invalided back to the United States in March, 1919, and his resignation of his commission of first lieutenant was accepted in April, 1919.

Immediately after leaving the service he returned to his old position with William Filene's Sons Company and shortly after was placed in charge of their comparison office. Later the outside sales department, comprising the mail and telephone or-

der departments and all branch stores, was organ- ized and he was placed in charge. These branch stores now comprise of three College Shops at Smith, Wellesley and Mt. Holyoke, four summer resort shops at Hyannis, Falmouth, Magnolia and York Harbor, and three year-round stores at Port- land, Providence and Worcester. The Worcester Store, the most recent and largest branch to be opened, has been in operation for about five years. This store is a modern, up-to-date specialty shop employing over one hundred people. Mr. Shum- aker divides his time between the Worcester Store and the other Filene branches. He is a member of the Military Order of the World War, the Uni- versity Club of Boston and the Charles River Country Club of Newton Centre. He is a direc- tor of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Shumaker was married, August 20, 1922, to Dorothy Frances Wholley, and they are the par- ents of two children : Robert Hall and Brooks, Jr.

WILLIAM C. MELLISH-One of the lead- ing attorneys of Worcester is William C. Mellish, who has his offices in the Slater Building, having been engaged in legal practice here for more than thirty-five years.

William C. Mellish was born in New York City, son of David B. Mellish, who was well known in both local and national affairs and who at the time of his death was a member of the United States Congress, and of Lucy (Fitch) Mellish, a native of Massachusetts. William C. Mellish re- ceived his early education in the public schools of Worcester, graduating from Worcester High School in 1890, and then secured a position as reporter on the "Worcester Spy." After two years of active work as a reporter, 1890-92, he entered the law school of Boston University, from which he was graduated in 1895 with the degree of Bach- elor of Laws, magna cum laude. He was admitted to the Massachusetts bar December 12, 1894, and since beginning practice has been continuously and successfully engaged in professional work in Wor- cester, where he is known as one of the city's leading attorneys and where he stands high in the esteem of his colleagues. Mr. Mellish has always been ready to use his legal knowledge and experi- ence in the service of the community in which he lives and in 1923, he was elected city solicitor for the city of Worcester, a position to which he was annually reelected for seven years. He is a member of the Worcester County Bar Association, which he served as president in 1924-25; of the Massachusetts State Bar Association; and of the American Bar Association. He is identified with and has been very active in the Masonic Order. In the York Rite, he is a member of the Athelstan Lodge, of which he is a past master ; Eureka Chap- ter, Royal Arch Masons; Hiram Council, Royal and Select Masters; and Worcester County Con- mandery, Knights Templar. He is also a member of all bodies of the Scottish Rite as follows : Wor- cester Lodge of Perfection; Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem, in which he was Sovereign Prince; Lawrence Chapter, Rose Croix; Massa- chusetts Consistory, in which he attained the thirty- second degree. On September 15, 1925, in appre- ciation of the services he had performed there was conferred upon him the thirty-third degree and through this he is a member of the Supreme Coun- cil. He also holds membership in the Benevolent

Herbert a Dairs.

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and Protective Order of Elks. Among his clubs are the Worcester Club, Worcester Country Club and the University Club.

William C. Mellish married, October 8, 1897, Jane B. Wheeler, of Worcester.

HERBERT A. DAVIS, one of the well- known business men of Worcester, is a son of Royal C. Davis, for some years a resident of Taun- ton, who married Ann Cushing of that city, and here he spent his life. His death occurred in Feb- ruary, 1932, at the age of eighty-eight years. His widow is still living at an advanced age.

Herbert A. Davis was born in Taunton June 4, 1876, received his early education in the public schools and, after spending several years in various occupations, chose the foundry trade as the one he liked best. He served his time and became thor- oughly proficient in this, and since then he has been associated with some of the largest concerns in this section, including the Draper Company, Crompton and Knowles Loom Works, B. F. Sturte- vant Company, Hendley Machine Company (Tor- rington, Connecticut), and the Foxboro Foundry Company. Since 1921 he has been vice-president and general manager of the Fremont Castings Com- pany, a Worcester concern which he organized in that year with a group of substantial men includ- ing E. H. Marble, president; C. F. Marble, treas- urer; Albert C. Marble and William C. Marble, directors; and Mr. Davis as vice-president and general manager. The company started in a modest way, providing employment for a dozen men and having an output of about three tons of castings per week. It has developed its plant to meet in- creased patronage and under normal conditions there are employed seventy-five men, and fron fourteen to fifteen tons of castings are produced daily. The company manufactures a high grade of castings, which fact accounts largely for the vol- ume of business it enjoys. The customers are found not only in Worcester, but extend over a radius of fifty miles from Worcester. Much of this success must be attributed to Mr. Davis' asso- ciation with this company as he has devoted his time and best energies to building up the business.

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 34

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