Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 48

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 48

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Cosimo J. Toscano was educated in the public schools of Worcester, the city in which he was born December 29, 1906. He is a graduate of Belmont Grammar School, 1921, and of North High School, 1925. Matriculating at the Suffolk Law School, he was graduated in 1929, and ad- mitted to the bar of Worcester County on April 23, 1930. Mr. Toscano at once began the general practice of law and quickly built up a large clien- tele. He is a student by taste and natural gifts and has established a reputation for sound judg- ment, skill and extreme care in his handling of cases. He has specialized upon the legal needs of the Italian and other Mediterranean peoples of the city, and has drawn to himself a loyal and large following. Mr. Toscano is a member of the Wor- cester County Bar Society and the Massachusetts State Bar Association. Fraternally he is affiliated with the Knights of Columbus; the Sons of Italy ; the Beato Angelo Di Acri; and he has been the treasurer for four years of the Holy Name Society of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Always interested in politics, Mr. Toscano is active in the councils and the campaigns of the Republican party in his ward. He is an out-of-doors man, a lover of the woods, and has a camping organization which has a large camp known as "Half Moon Cove."

E. EDGAR MILES-Engaged in publishing and manufacturing enterprises in Lancaster, E. Edgar Miles was one of his community's highly respected citizens and accomplished much for its advancement and the promotion of the general good. He had been given positions of leadership

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and trust, in which he faithfully served the inter- ests of his town and State.

Mr. Miles was born at Summerhill, New York, on August 7, 1859, son of William and Electa Cornelia (Fuller) Miles, natives of New York State. His father was a farmer by occupation. E. Edgar Miles, of whom this is primarily a rec- ord, received his early education at Locke and Moravia, New York, and attended Battle Creek College, at Battle Creek, Michigan. He then taught in country schools, served as principal of a school at Rome, New York, and in 1886 settled at Lancaster, Massachusetts, where he became associated with South Lancaster Academy, now the Atlantic Union College, as head of the history and Bible departments, subsequently engaging in the work of organizing its publication sales unit.

In 1892 he compiled and published a vest pocket dictionary which has had a very wide sale. It was, in fact, the project that led to his establishing his publishing business for which he received much credit, having started from a small beginning and developed into large proportions. He published diaries, photograph and autograph albums, scrap- books, memorandum books, household memorandum pads and a number of other items in a modern and completely equipped plant. He employed about one hundred and sixty persons, eighty-seven of whom were students at Atlantic Union College and South Lancaster Academy. His business pro- vided these students with a means of working their way through college, the establishment being known as the E. E. Miles Student Bindery, which became affiliated with the college as an industrial depart- ment. It is interesting to note that Mr. Miles operated this bindery for thirty years without once denying a regular employee his full time schedule, and that he always managed to meet his financial obligations without incurring debts. During this long period hundreds of students have been bene- fited by being in the employ of Mr. Miles, many now being found in all parts of the world as missionaries and valuable citizens. His interest in education was an important factor in his choice of this particular business for which his record harmonizes in every respect with the high prin- ciples he professed, and his influence, through his contacts with the younger generation, was multi- plied many times.

He was a member of the board of trustees of Atlantic Union College. He was also a member of the executive committee of the Atlantic Union Conference of Seventh Day Adventists, as well as a member of the Southern New England Con- ference Committee. Soon after returning from college, Mr. Miles became a minister of the Seventh Day Adventist denomination and he continued as an elder until his death, at which time he was helping to further education by erecting a science building as a donation to Atlantic Union College. It may be seen from his record that he was a consistent leader and that he performed much work of value to Lancaster, Worcester County, the Com- monwealth of Massachusetts, and the cause of education as a whole.

E. Edgar Miles married (first), in June, 1882, Ruth Cutler, of Moravia, New York. Their chil- dren were six in number: I. Carroll C., of Leo- minster, a manufacturer, and father of one son, Carroll C., Jr. 2. Myrtle E., wife of Myron M. Cross, of South Lancaster, and mother of one son,

Merrill Miles Cross, a medical student at the University of Vermont. 3. Dr. S. Herbert, a grad- uate of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, of Columbia University, New York City, and now a practicing physician at Olive View, California, he is the father of one daughter, Ruth Jane. 4. Walter E., superintendent and business manager of the E. E. Miles Bindery at South Lancaster. 5. Gerald E., now teaching science and mathematics in the academy of the Atlantic Union College and father of two children, Elmer Edgar and Bethel Ruth. 6. Inez R., wife of Ezra Longway, now engaged in missionary work at Shanghai, China; and mother of five children: Eva, Myrtle, Delbert, Ralph and David.

Five years after the death of his first wife Mr. Miles married (second), in January, 1910, Martha V. Lord, of Worcester. She was a widow and the mother, by her former marriage, of three children, all of whom are married: Perley P. Lord and Mrs. Blanche E. (Lord) Sevrens, of South Lan- caster, and Mrs. Muriel W. (Lord) Gilbert, of Hudson, mother of one daughter, Anita Claire.

Mr. Miles' death occurred at his home on Mill Street, South Lancaster, July 15, 1933. The con- cluding remarks of his funeral service give the following impressive and inspiring description of Mr. Miles' outstanding characteristics : "His cease- less efforts and untiring energy in advancing the cause of God; his sacrifice of personal financial gain for education; his gifts of many thousands of dollars to denominational work; the absolute reliableness of his word; his sterling integrity."

CARLETON AMERICUS FLETCHER, D. D. S .- In many departments of Worcester County life, Carleton Americus Fletcher, D. D. S., has taken an active part. In addition to his pro- fessional work as a dentist, in which he has con- tinued for many years, he has been a leader in banking enterprises and in public undertakings and office.

Dr. Fletcher, who lives at Baldwinsville, was born on December 2, 1877, at Athol, son of Ameri- cus V. and Emeline (Peckham) Fletcher. His father is now deceased, as is the mother, both having passed from this life in 1905. Americus V. Fletcher, a tinsmith by trade, was also a native of Athol; and he and his brother were for many years widely known as pump manufacturers. Their special style of pump was patented in 1869, and the business, at first conducted as A. V. and A. F. Fletcher, afterward came to be known as the Athol Pump Company.

In public and high schools at Athol, his birth- place, Carleton Americus Fletcher, of whom this is primarily a record, received his early education, finishing preliminary studies in 1896. In 1899 he was graduated from the University of Pennsyl- vania, a Doctor of Dental Surgery. Beginning his active practice of dentistry immediately thereafter, Dr. Fletcher established headquarters in the same offices in which he still performs his professional work.

Early he began to show interest in business and civic life, becoming a trustee and clerk of the Templeton Savings Bank, of Baldwinsville. He is now also president of the Baldwinsville Coopera- tive Bank, which was originally incorporated on July 16, 1889. The institution furnishes an oppor- tunity for thousands of people to establish savings

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accounts and pays profits through a dividend sys- tem. Dr. Fletcher is justly proud of the record of the Baldwinsville Cooperative Bank, which is one of a type of institution that, throughout the coun- try, has a fine record of financial service and achievement.

Dr. Fletcher has been a leader in still other activities, some of them of a civic nature. Con- tinuously from 1908 to 1922 he was town clerk of Baldwinsville and from 1910 to 1922 tax col- lector. He retains an honorary post in the town government down to the time of writing. Since 1908 he has been a notary public and for several years he was a justice of the peace. He also served as Baldwinsville reporter on the Worcester "Telegram" and Boston "Globe" news staffs. At one time he was local editor of the Worcester "West Chronicle." As a young man, Dr. Fletcher played in a band. He was for several years active in the insurance business and from 1912 to 1926 conducted a general store, which he sold in the latter year.

Along with his other affiliations, he is a mem- ber of the Narragansett Historical Society and the Poquoig Club. In the Free and Accepted Masons, he is connected with a number of branches of the order, including both York and Scottish Rite bodies ; holds the thirty-second degree of the An- cient Accepted Scottish Rite; and is an initiate in Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He also belongs to the Order of the Eastern Star. In the Independent Order of Odd Fellows he is affiliated with Narragansett Lodge, in which he is a Past Grand. He is also active in the Order of Rebekahs. For three years during the World War period a corporal in Com- pany C, 18th Regiment, Massachusetts State Guards, he was honorably discharged in 1919. Each of the organizations and branches of Massa- chusetts life with which Dr. Fletcher has been concerned has in some definite way gained from his participation in its affairs. In his spare time, he has devoted a great deal of attention to outdoor recreational pursuits, particularly baseball, football and bowling.

Dr. Carleton Americus Fletcher married (first), in 1901, Elizabeth Lloyd, of Athol, who died in 1903. He married (second), in 1905, Hattie Bix- ley Leland, daughter of Louis and Anna (Bixley) Leland, both of whom are now deceased. The children of this marriage were: Leland C., Edith E. and Louis H.

HENRY ADAMS ALLEN-The city auditor of Worcester, Massachusetts, Henry Adams Allen, is well and favorably known in the municipality both for the years he has spent in public service and for the efficiency and success of that service. He is of Manchester, New Hampshire, birth, the son of Joseph Cutler and Joanna Eliza (Bullard) Allen, the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of Massachusetts, and both bearing names that are old in the history of New England. His father was for many years engaged in the textile industry at Manchester.

Henry Adams Allen was born March 31, 1876, and attended the public schools of his birth city. He later was graduated from Worcester High School, 1894, and then began his business career. The first four years were spent at various occupa- tions and in May, 1898, he entered the Sewer

Department of the city of Worcester. For twenty- three years he served as clerk of this department. In July, 1921, he was elected by the Worcester Council to the city auditorship, to which post he has been reëlected every three years since that time. At the time of this writing Mr. Allen has been in the service of the municipality for thirty- five years, and is recognized not only as one of the most faithful and devoted of officials, but among the most able and progressive.

Mr. Allen is quite as successful as a civic- minded citizen as public official. He has always been active in projects which make for the advance- ment of Worcester and the welfare of its people. He has identified himself with many phases of its life and affairs. Fraternally he is affiliated with Athelstan Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Worcester Commandery, No. 5, Knights Templar. He is a popular figure in the Rotary and the Republican clubs. Along the line of his profession he is a member and second vice-president of the Interna- tional Association of Municipal Finance Officers, and was first vice-president in 1933, and in 1934 president of this important organization. With his family, Mr. Allen attends the First Baptist Church, of which he is clerk.

On June 17, 1902, Mr. Allen married Eleanor Gertrude Drake, of Worcester, and they are the parents of a daughter, Ardis Eleanor, a junior in Mt. Holyoke College at this writing.

JOHN WILLIAM BUTLER-Superintend- ent of the Worcester Safe Deposit Vaults, Inc., of Worcester, Massachusetts, John William Butler has served in this position since 1920. He came to Worcester after many years with the American Express Company in northern New England and in the last decade has witnessed a remarkable development of the enterprise with which he is now connected.

Mr. Butler was born in Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, on September 12, 1868, a son of Parker Clark and Frances Ann (Waldron) Butler, both descended of old New Hampshire families. Mrs. Butler's mother's name was Ran- dall. She was a member of the old family of that name of Syracuse, New York. Captain John Butler, a direct ancestor, served in the Revolu- tionary War. John Butler, grandfather of John William Butler, lived and died in New Hampshire. He married Susan Harriet Alexander, of a prom- inent pioneer family in this State. One of its members, Grace Alexander, was a cashier in the Winchester National Bank. Parker Clark Butler had two brothers and one sister : John L. Butler, who served in the New Hampshire Legislature for several terms; Charles H., a farmer ; Harriet, wife of Farnum F. Lane, noted New Hampshire lawyer. Parker Clark Butler was assessor and member of the city council at Keene, New Hamp- shire. He was a carpenter by trade, and about 1890 came to Worcester, where he made his home thereafter. For a time he was foreman for the R. C. Taylor Real Estate Company here. Parker Clark Butler and Frances Ann (Waldron) Butler had two children : John William, the subject of this sketch, and Frank S., who is a trustee of the R. C. Taylor estate.

John William Butler received his education in Keene schools, including the high school. On the

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completion of his academic training he became associated with the American Express Company, with which he remained for twenty-eight years. Starting as clerk in the office at Keene, New Hampshire, he was later advanced to more re- sponsible positions. He served as route agent for this same company from Burlington to Boston and was agent in several cities of different times. Al- though he was considered a valuable member of the organization and liked his position, yet Mr. Butler resigned in 1920 to accept his present posi- tion in Worcester, Massachusetts, as superintendent of the Worcester Safe Deposit Vaults, Incorpo- rated. He was led to make this change primarily in order that he might be near his mother i11 Worcester. Mr. Butler has met the duties of his office in this bank with efficiency and success and has seen the vaults grow to twice the size they were when he took charge.

Apart from his business connections, Mr. Butler has been active in other phases of Worcester life. He served for a time in the Worcester Light Infantry. Fraternally he is affiliated with Humane Lodge, No. 21, Free and Accepted Masons at Rochester, New Hampshire, and in this order is also a member of various higher bodies, includ- ing Worcester Chapter, Royal Arch Masons ; Wor- cester County Commandery, Knights Templar. He is fond of outdoor life, and his favorite recreation is fishing.

On January 2, 1902, John William Butler married Ora B. McDuffee, of Rochester, New Hampshire. They maintain their residence in Worcester at No. 2 Hammond Street.

J. EDWARD FULLER-It is sometimes said that outstanding ability in one line of activity is seldom passed down from father to son. Even if this be true philosophy, there are too many exceptions. Those familiar with the annals of building operations in New England during the closing decades of the last century know that James Fuller, of Worcester, was one of the best known architects of that period. His son, J. Ed- ward Fuller, also a resident of Worcester but with offices in Boston, although only for a short while associated with his father in business, fol- lowed his father's footsteps so far as profession went, but has made advances far beyond the ex- pectation of either.

J. Edward Fuller was born at Athol, Massa- chusetts, October 28, 1865, the son of James and Clara D. (Gould) Fuller, both of whom were na- tives of Warwick, Massachusetts, and members of old New England families. As indicated, his father was one of the best known architects in New Eng- land, who died in 1901. The son attended the pub- lic schools of Worcester, where his family came to live, and was graduated from Worcester High School with the class of 1884. He then matricu- lated at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, from which he was graduated four years later. He spent a year with his father to familiarize himself with the practical side of the making of plans, specifications, and to gain experi- ence under the tutelage of a master architect. J. Edward Fuller did not intend to further his career through the influence and aid of his father, and after these short months of training went with the Darling Brothers of Worcester and was employed as superintendent of the construction of the Wor-

cester Theatre. He then became associated with J. G. Vaudreuil, contractor and builder, remaining for two years.

In 1890, Mr. Fuller removed to Chicago, Illinois, to work for George A. Fuller, remaining in the city for three years during which he had an impor- tant part in the construction of two very large buildings, the Columbus Memorial and the Women's Temple. Returning to Worcester, in 1893, he en- tered upon a partnership with J. G. Vaudreuil, of that city, under the firm name of the Vaudreuil- Fuller Company, and became established in his reputation as one of the leading builders of this part of the State. In 1896, Mr. Fuller set up in business for himself under the title, J. Edward Fuller, Jr., and during the next five years con- structed the South High School, and many other buildings in the municipality and county. In 1901 he went with the George A. Fuller Company, first to Pittsburgh in charge of two of its impor- tant works, and later to New York City as assist- ant general superintendent. A year later he was made the manager of the Albany, New York, office of the corporation, and in 1902 came to Boston as assistant to the manager of that department of the company, and was chosen manager in 1904. Since 1911, J. Edward Fuller has been the vice- president and a director of the George A. Fuller Company, general contractors. This is one of the largest and best known of the American contract- ing corporations, and has offices in every large city east of the Mississippi, and in Montreal, Canada.

Along with the responsibilities of his business, Mr. Fuller is a leader in many other groups, busi- ness, civic, and social in nature. He is a director of the Insurance Building Corporation and a mem- ber of the Boston Chamber of Commerce. Frater- nally he is affiliated with the Masons. Among his clubs are the Worcester, Worcester Country; the Whitehall and the Lawyers' clubs of New York.

On April 18, 1895, Mr. Fuller married Maude L. Knowlton, of Worcester, and they are the parents of two daughters: I. Frances A., who married Charles T. Halloway, and is the mother of two daughters and a son. 2. Virginia L., the wife of Howard W. Marshall, a builder of Newton Cen- ter, Massachusetts. As is to be expected, Mr. and Mrs. J. Edward Fuller live in a beautiful home of his own planning at No. 18 Brattle Street, Wor- cester, situated on an estate which was part of an old homestead. Here Mr. Fuller gives rein to one of his hobbies, gardening and landscaping, and has developed one of the show places of Worcester.

GEORGE SAWYER STONE-As treasurer of the Templeton Savings Bank, of Baldwinsville, George Sawyer Stone has contributed substantially to his community, to Worcester County, and to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. His services in both business and civic realms have been extensive, as well as useful and satisfying.

Mr. Stone was born in February 3, 1866, in the town of Templeton, son of E. Wyman and Berdille (Sawyer) Stone, both of whom were also natives of Templeton. The father was an accountant by profession, continuing his work until his death in 1903; he was also trustee and auditor for the Templeton Savings Bank. The mother passed from this life in 1918.

George Sawyer Stone received his early educa- tion in the public and high schools of Templeton,

Leward Fuller Edward

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later, in 1886, being graduated from Massachusetts State College with the degree of Bachelor of Science. For thirty years thereafter he was a farmer and retail milk dealer, though he by no means confined his efforts to these activities, but figured more and more prominently, as time went on, in the gencral civic and political life of his community, having been town assessor from 1913 to 1916.

It was in 1917 that he came to the Templeton Savings Bank as its treasurer, in which position he has continued since that time. He has had much to do, in these years, with the development and growth of the bank and the enhancing of its usefulness to the community that it serves. This institution, established in 1871, has a fine history and tradition; and at the time of writing its deposits total $800,000, and its total assets $878,- 000. Its president is William P. Hawley; its treasurer, Mr. Stone; and its vice-presidents, Thomas J. Symons, Allen A. Bronsdon, and Ralph Kenney. The trustees of the bank are, in addi- tion to these five officers, W. P. Abbott, C. A. Fletcher, George H. Hadley, F. L. Hager, J. E. Murphy, W. A. Jones, C. W. Nichols, D. M. O'Leary, P. H. Reed, Louis Starkey, and F. E. Johnson.

Along with his work in the banking and business life of Baldwinsville, Mr. Stone has taken part in civic affairs, having done everything in his power to aid in projects for community advancement. For six years he was a member of the Baldwins- ville School Board and for four years collector of taxes. In March, 1932, he was elected town moderator, to serve a one-year term, and was reelected for another one-year term in March, 1933. For fifteen years he served as a trustee of the Public Library of Templeton. He is also a member of the Narragansett Historical Society and the Sons of Veterans, his membership in the veterans' organization coming as a result of his father's distinguished service in the Union Army in the Civil War. His father, E. Wyman Stone, referred to above, enlisted as a private in the Massachusetts' 3Ist Volunteers, and was wounded, losing a foot in the battle of Roanoke Island. He was also in an important engagement before the historic battle of Antietam.

George Sawyer Stone married, on September 3, 1898, at Templeton, Mary Elizabeth Leland, daugh- ter of Francis T. and Mary N. (Sawyer) Leland, both of whom are now deceased, the father dying in 1905 and the mother in 1931. Both of Mrs. Stone's parents, like Mrs. Stone herself, her hus- band, and his parents, were natives of Templeton. The children of George Sawyer and Mary Eliz- abeth (Leland) Stone are: I. Leland, who married Doris Smith, and had three children: David W., Jean W., and Gerald R. Stone. 2. Margaret, who became the wife of John D. Hamilton, of Clinton, Massachusetts; they have two children: Elizabeth and Leland B. Hamilton. 3. Rachael, who mar- ried Meeker B. Jones, of New York City. 4. Eliz- abeth, living in Boston. 5. Ralph Lincoln, a student at the Worcester Institute of Technology, class of 1935.

The Stone family residence is situated in the village of Otter River in the town of Templeton, where, as in other parts of Worcester County, its members have been consistently active and useful citizens over a period of many years.

ALBERT WALKER HINDS-Treasurer of the town of West Boylston, and for many years a prominent figure in its life, Albert Walker Hinds is well known throughout this section for his interest in the cause of civic progress and his varied activities in public life. He was born at West Boylston on November 30, 1864, a son of Albert and Alona A. (Walker) Hinds and a mem- ber of an old Worcester County family. Accord- ing to tradition handed down in the family, Jacob Hinds, one of his ancestors, was the first white man to settle in the territory now included in West Boylston. A private driveway, Hinds Terrace, per- petuates the name of this early settler.

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 48

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