Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 50

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 50

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and is also serving his eighteenth year as a select- man of Rutland, for fifteen years of that period as chairman of the board of selectmen. He has been assessor for seven years, tax collector for a like period, water commissioner for three years, and is serving his tenth year as moderator. While a very young man he became a staunch Republican and has for many years been prominent in the councils and the campaigns of the party. Frater- nally he is affiliated with Putnam Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of which he is a Past Mas- ter, and the Rutland Grange, of which he is a Past Master (three years). He is president of the Worcester County Selectmen's Association, trustee and clerk of the Rutland Rural Cemetery Association, and clerk of the Congregational Church, Rutland.

On December 12, 1901, Charles J. Campbell married Edith Smith of Rutland, daughter of Dennis A. and Lydia E. (Miles) Smith, both na- tives of Rutland and both now deceased. Mr. and Mrs. Campbell are the parents of two sons: I. George M., a graduate of the Worcester Trade School and postmaster at the Veterans' Hospital, Rutland Heights ; he married Mercy Helen Wheeler and they have one daughter, Ruth Edith, born Feb- ruary 7, 1932. 2. Lloyd H., manager of the Cheney Grain Company, Rutland, living at home.

CHARLES L. MCCARTHY-Chief of the Worcester Fire Department, Charles L. McCarthy has risen to his present position through thirty- seven years of meritorious service to the city and its people. He is well qualified by experience and proved ability for the responsible position he now holds.

Mr. McCarthy was born at Boston, Massachu- setts, on January II, 1868, a son of Daniel W. and Mary Alice (Wright) McCarthy. His father, a native of Newfoundland, was a cooper by trade and lived in Boston until his death. The mother was born in Maine.

Charles L. McCarthy was educated in Boston schools, and for a number of years in early life worked at various jobs in the cities and towns of New England. In 1895, however, he came to Wor- cester as an employee of the Hammond Organ Reed Company, and one year later entered the City Fire Department. This was in 1896. Since that time he has risen through all grades in the depart- ment from call man, substitute, permanent man, lieutenant, captain, district chief, and deputy chief, and in 1922 was appointed chief of the department. He had well earned this position through years of active service, and as chief has maintained a high standard of efficiency throughout the entire organization. There are nineteen fire houses in the city and thirty companies with a total of three hundred and seventy-four employees on the pay- roll. The people of the city have the greatest confidence in their department and in its chief, and the fine record of the organization fully justifies the praise it has received.

Mr. McCarthy is a member of the New England Fire Chiefs Association, the Massachusetts Fire Chiefs Association, and the International Fire Chiefs Association. Apart from his duties in the department, he is also a member of the Worcester Safety Council and chairman of the License Board. Mr. McCarthy is an active Republican in politics.

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He is affiliated fraternally with the Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and is prominent in this order, being a member of all higher bodies including the thirty-second degree of the Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite, Worcester County Com- mandery of the Knights Templar and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine in Boston. In addition he is a mem- ber of the Worcester Kiwanis Club. He finds his chief recreation in dancing, and is well known throughout the entire city.

In January, 1909, Charles L. McCarthy married Laura A. Rivett, and they are the parents of two children : I. Mildred E. 2. Dorothy D. The resi- dence of the family is situated at No. 9 Wakefield Street, Worcester.

HARRY N. EASTMAN-One of the addi- tions in recent years to the important groups of executives which have contributed so greatly to the industrial leadership of Worcester among the cities of Massachusetts, Harry N. Eastman has had a career of variety and usefulness which prepared him for his exacting duties as the auditor of the Sherman Envelope Company, of Worcester. He is a native Vermonter, born at Rutland, September 21, 1885, the son of Charles Dewey and Jessie C. (Coppins) Eastman, both natives of Vermont ; the former was a machinist of Rutland, active in the business and religious life of that town and also interested in the militia, having been for three years a member of the noted Kingsley Guards. He died in Rutland in 1903.

Harry N. Eastman received his education in the public schools of Rutland and later was graduated from Bryant and Stratton Business College. School days over, Mr. Eastman returned to Rutland where he was employed in the office of the Rutland Light and Power Company, until the entrance of the United States into the World War brought to an end, for a time, his business career.

He had been a member of the Kingsley Guards, like his father before him, having joined this his- toric military unit when he was nineteen years old and continued in active service for nineteen years. The 38th Infantry, which he joined dur- ing the World War, entered the Federal serv- ice on April 3, 1917. Before, that, however, Mr. Eastman had served at the Mexican border from June 26 to November 15, 1916, being stationed at Eagle Pass, Texas. The 38th Infantry was first sent to Fort Ethan Allen, Vermont, where it re- mained until September 1, 1917. From there it went to Camp Meade, Westfield, Massachusetts, where Mr. Eastman was made camp quartermaster. Stationed there until November 1, 1917, he then went to Camp Green, Charleston, South Carolina. On February 1, 1918, he was transferred to Camp Wadsworth and later to Spartanburg, South Caro- lina. There the regiment was reorganized and Mr. Eastman was transferred to the 57th Pioneer In- fantry, remaining until October 1, 1918, when he went to Camp Merritt, New Jersey. Here he was promoted to the rank of captain and then went overseas with the 38th Infantry, 3d Division, Amer- ican Expeditionary Forces, remaining in Europe until 1919. Returning to the United States he received his honorable discharge with the rank of captain at Camp Jackson, South Carolina, on July 26, 1919.

Upon his return to civilian life, Mr. Eastman became assistant treasurer of the Northway Motor Company at Natick, Massachusetts, until 1924, when he resigned to accept a position as accountant with the Edwin L. Pride Company. He was next employed as controller of the Checker Taxi Cab Company at Boston. On March 25, 1925, he ac- cepted a position with the Sherman Envelope Com- pany at Worcester, remaining with that conecrn up to January 1, 1933, as auditor. The Sherman Envelope Company was established in 1899 by John A. Sherman in a small factory on School Street for the specific purpose of manufacturing envelopes. This same year this business was incor- porated with J. A. Sherman, president; Walter Davis, vice-president; and Edward Sherman, sec- retary. Due to the expansion of business, the com- pany removed to their present location at No. 60 Prescott Street, where they occupy 50,000 square feet of floor space and in normal times have a production capacity of two and a half million envelopes per day. Their product enjoys an inter- national distribution. In 1920 the Sherman En- velope Company sold out to the United Drug Company of Boston, although still maintaining the original name. In 1923 the officers of the company were as follows: Charles S. Thomas, now de- ceased, president; B. T. Wilkinson, vice-president ; Brenton K. Fisk, secretary; and Joseph A. Galvin, treasurer.

Mr. Eastman has identified himself closely with the business and civic life of Worcester. Frater- nally he is affiliated with the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, and he is a member of some of the city clubs and organizations, as well as of the Central Church.

COL. WILLIAM AUSTIN WILLIAMS -- In law, politics and civic affairs, the late Colonel William Austin Williams, of Worcester, exercised a leadership which made him one of the foremost figures of the Commonwealth at the height of his career which extended over a considerable portion of his life.

The immigrant ancestor of Colonel Williams was William Williams, of Great Yarmouth, Eng- land, who settled in Watertown, Massachusetts, in 1637.

Born at Williamsville, in the town of Hubbard- ston, Worcester County, August 29, 1820, William Austin Williams was a son of George and Susan (Waite) Williams. After attending the district school, he took college preparatory work at the Ashby, New Salem and Leicester academies. But because of impaired health, he was compelled to cancel his plan of pursuing higher academic studies at Harvard College. He did, however, achieve his ambition of taking a law course at Harvard, where he received his degree of Bachelor of Laws in the class of 1847. Shortly afterward he was admitted to the Massachusetts bar at a sitting of court in Worcester and at once entered upon a career which was destined to be one of the most notable in the annals of the profession in this State.

Opening an office in the city of Worcester, in the old Central Exchange Building, Main Street, he began building up a practice, which eventually proved one of the largest and most desirable in the county. After a number of years in that loca- tion, he removed to the then new Chapin Block

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on Pearl Street. Subsequently he transferred his office to the Walker Building, where his practice continued to increase in volume and importance. Upon the completion of the State Mutual Build- ing he made his professional headquarters at this central location, remaining there until he retired from practice. An earlier biographer, writing of his appearance at the time said: "The oldest law- yer practicing in Worcester, he presents a picture of sturdy and handsome manhood. His eye is bright and youthful; his features ruddy and health- ful; and he gives promise of many more years of activity and usefulness." At one time his practice in the criminal courts was extremely large, and from the time of his admission to the United States Circuit Court at Boston, in 1872, his reputation as a lawyer widened until he ceased to be active.

Perhaps more widely known was Colonel Wil- liams' career in the political sphere. Always an enthusiastic and consistent Democrat, he was yet a young man, when he was accorded leadership by his party followers in Worcester. His prominence in the politics of the turbulent decade prior to the Civil War brought him the position of a state- wide party leader, and he made numerous and helpful contacts with political leaders and states- men of Massachusetts. In 1852, when only thirty- two years of age, he was the choice of the Demo- cratic State Central Committee for chairman. In this capacity he shouldered the heavy responsibil- ity of fusing the forces of the Free Soil and the Democratic organizations into one body. He helped materially in the election of Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, as president of the United States. This was one of the most important and most closely contested campaigns ever waged in Massa- chusetts, and his generalship in its conduct added not a little to his political prestige.

The Democrats made George S. Boutwell their standard-bearer, and to his banner there rallied Mr. Williams and his large and influential following. In his position as Democratic State chairman, he threw all his power on the side of Mr. Boutwell and aided his election as Governor in 1850 and his reelection in 1852. He was now perhaps the most influential man in Worcester County, regardless of party affiliation. Appointed an aide on the staff of Governor Boutwell, he was given the rank of colonel and became a close adviser and confidential friend of the Governor. This friendship continued without abatement until the death of Governor Boutwell. He was the first executive of Massa- chusetts to require members of his official staff to appear in full uniform, and Colonel Williams proudly retained the gorgeous and imposing mili- tary outfit which he affected on State occasions. While a member of the Governor's staff, during the first Boutwell administration, the President of the United States made a visit to Massachusetts and was a guest at the State House; also Secre- tary of State Daniel Webster, still an imposing and impressive figure in public life, was a guest of the Commonwealth. During the stay of these distinguished national leaders it was Colonel Wil- liams' happy lot to assist in their entertainment.

Another figure of renown, who held the interest of Massachusetts people during the Boutwell ad- ministration, was the distinguished Hungarian patriot, General Kossuth. Colonel Williams was assigned by the Governor as a member of the escort party to attend General Kossuth on his

journey through the State to the Capitol at Boston and then to various places of interest. He repre- sented the Governor most efficiently in meeting the visitor at Springfield and, with his colleague of the escort, accompanying him all along the route, on which Kossuth was given a cordial welcome by the populace. The party stopped in Worcester, where Mayor Peter C. Bacon did the honors of the occasion. At a reception, with speechmaking, in the city hall, Colonel Williams again conveyed the felicitations of the Governor. At Boston the gen- eral was accorded a magnificent entertainment by the Governor and other officials of the State. Colonel Williams acted as Kossuth's escort to Cambridge and other points on the official itinerary within the State and, on the conclusion of his visit, accompanied him to Albany and introduced him to the Governor of New York State. In a num- ber of particulars the visit of General Kossuth was as interesting as that of General the Marquis de Lafayette a generation earlier. Of Kossuth, Colo- nel Williams said: "He certainly was the most accomplished man I ever met. He was a fine scholar and linguist. He spoke English as well as I have ever heard it spoken. His style was good, too."

It was when Colonel Williams was a member of Governor Boutwell's staff that the Governor- General of Canada arrived in Boston on an official visit to assist in the "Railroad Jubilee," marking the celebration of the completion of the railroad linking the United States and Canada. The dis- tinguished visitor was formally received in a tent erected on Boston Common, with Colonel Williams seated by the side of the Governor-General during the banquet that was an outstanding feature of the entertainment. Colonel Williams played an impor- tant part in the post-prandial exercises, which in- cluded a magnificent ball in honor of the Canadians and a trip down Boston Harbor. Still another occasion, on which Colonel Williams participated on behalf of the State, was the great public funeral held for Daniel Webster in Boston. For many years he was the only surviving State official who had a part in the Commonwealth's tribute to the great statesman.

As a delegate from his district, Colonel Williams attended the Democratic National Convention of 1868, at Baltimore, Maryland, which nominated Horace Greeley for President. An incident of this bitterly fought campaign was related by Colonel Williams, telling of a gentleman of the old South- ern school, who had been the largest slaveholder in the South prior to the Civil War, declaring that he felt the nomination of Greeley was "a pretty bitter pill for his party to swallow." That feel- ing made Greeley one of the most unpopular can- didates of a great political party in the Presidential election. In the municipal affairs of Worcester, Colonel Williams was prominently active for many years. He served on the school committee in 1848- 1852, 1861-63, and 1870-74, as a member of the board of aldermen in 1853-54 and as city solicitor in 1876.

Colonel William Austin Williams married (first), June 29, 1852, Esther Kendall Houghton, of Barre, daughter of Luke and Harriet (Caldwell) Hough- ton. His second wife was Harriet Ann Woods, daughter of Harding P. and Sally (Caldwell) Woods, of Barre. The children, all by the first marriage, follow: I. Henry Houghton Williams,

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born June 8, 1854, was graduated Bachelor of Arts at Harvard University in 1874. He studied law in his father's office and was examined in May, 1876, for admission to the bar. He successfully passed the test and in the following June he filed his application for admission to the bar. But later in the same month he was drowned while rowing on Lake Quinsigamond. The young man was highly esteemed in many quarters for his brilliant mental attainments and fine qualities of character. Men of eminence, far his senior in years, voiced their appreciation of his worth. United States Senator George Frisbie Hoar, in a letter of condolence to Colonel Williams, said: "I am sure that our long acquaintance gives me the right to tell you of my great sorrow and sympathy in the loss of your noble and promising boy. I did not know him personally, but I had seen his fine and manly bear- ing, and knew how well everybody spoke of him, and can understand how much you have depended on him for the comfort and pleasure of the rest of your life." Hon. Charles Devens, Jr., of the United States Judicial Court, spoke of the young man as follows: "I had known him somewhat in connection with some professional matters and he seemed to me a most promising young man and everything that a father's heart could desire." Colonel Williams was so shocked and grieved by the death of his son that for a time he abandoned active practice and never afterward did he resume his former activity and ambition. 2. Harriet Cald- well, born July 14, 1856, never married; resides at No. 26 Cedar Street, Worcester. 3. Esther May, born October 29, 1858, married Wesley G. Carr, of Keene, New Hampshire, later a prominent attor- ney for the Westinghouse Manufacturing Company at Washington, District of Columbia, and Pitts- burgh, Pennsylvania. Their children: i. William Austin Carr, born in January, 1893, died in June, 1893. ii. Houghton Carr, born September 30, 1895. iii. Wesley G. Carr, born August 29, 1898. The parents of these children are both now deceased. 4. Alice Maude, born October 31, 1860, died August 18, 1861.

In his ninety-ninth year, Colonel Williams passed away, November 30, 1918, respected and loved by a host of friends, among whom he counted many members of the bench and bar. His record, of unusual length and distinction, shed additional luster upon the legal annals of the great Common- wealth he loved and served so well.

CHARLES E. COTTING-Finance and hor- ticulture, the sale of great bond issues and of milk, humanitarian enterprises and club interests, are among the varied activities of Charles E. Cot- ting, of Boston and Berlin, Massachusetts. He is a vice-president of the Lee, Higginson Corpora- tion, a director of banks and corporations, and has his own large estate where he produces fine milk and grows fancy apples. He is one of the high officials in the American Boy Scouts and a member of many clubs.

Mr. Cotting is a native of Boston, born May 15, 1889, son of Charles E. and Ruth S. (Thompson) Cotting, both of whom were members of old Mas- sachusetts families. His father was a trustee and manager of estates, and the son was given all edu- cational advantages and schooling in academies. Charles E. Cotting was graduated from Harvard University with the class of 1911, holding the

degree of Bachelor of Arts. Three months after leaving college he accepted a position as office boy with Lee, Higginson and Company, of Boston. He ran the whole gamut of positions in the company prior to his becoming a member of the firm, in April, 1922. After the liquidation of this company in June, 1932, he was made a vice-president of the newly formed company, the Lee, Higginson Cor- poration, a post he continues to hold. He is also a director of the New England Power Associa- tion, Hamilton Woolen Company, Otis Company. Amoskeag Company, and Gillette Safety Razor Company.

Although business and financial enterprises claim much of Mr. Cotting's time and attention, he has never lost his zest for many other activities. Hc is a member of the executive committee of the Boy Scouts of America, chairman of Region I, Boy Scouts of America, and vice-president of the Boston Council of the Boy Scouts. As may be inferred, his keen interest in youth has been given scope in a genuine devotion to the furtherance of this important and eminently helpful organiza- tion. During the World War period Mr. Cotting entered the United States Air Service and with the rank of captain was stationed at the training camps at Kelly Field, Texas, and West Point, Mississippi.

In 1922 Mr. Cotting purchased a three hundred- acre Massachusetts farm. For the last ten years the development of this estate has supplied him with a main source of recreation. It is run, how- ever, so far as the productive end is concerned, along thoroughly practical lines. There is a herd of pure bred Guernsey cows whose milk is sold in the neighborhood. On the farm are about four thousand apple trees, chiefly of the favored New England varieties, Gravensteins, Baldwins and Red McIntosh. If agriculture and horticulture are to be classed as the owner's hobbies, they are ridden well and in a way that the men to whom these are vocations may with safety follow.

Mr. Cotting is a member of the Harvard and Knickerbocker clubs of New York City; the Som- erset Club, Union Club, Tennis and Racquet and Harvard clubs of Boston; and the Essex Country Club, of Manchester, Massachusetts.

MAJOR WILLIAM GILBERT POND-As assistant clerk of courts at Worcester, Massachu- setts, Major William Gilbert Pond has served in public life almost from the beginning of his active legal career. He is a well-known figure in this city and section, not only through his professional career but by reason of his many other connections with Worcester institutions and enterprises.

Major Pond was born in Milford, Massachusetts, on November 21, 1874, a son of Henry A. and Ellen M. (Blake) Pond, the former born in Con- necticut and the latter in Massachusetts. Henry A. Pond was a shoemaker in his earlier years, but later became a machinist. He died in 1919 and is still survived by his wife.

William Gilbert Pond was educated in the public schools of his birthplace, being graduated from Milford High School in 1892. In 1894 he joined the staff of the "Worcester Telegram" as reporter in the Milford district, and during the four years in which he remained with this paper, he con- siderably developed his district as a newspaper field. In 1898, however, he became connected with the Boston "Herald," and while continuing his work

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as a reporter took up the study of law. The fol- lowing year he was graduated from the Boston University Law School with the degree of Bach- elor of Laws, was admitted to the bar and began active practice in Milford. He was appointed first clerk of the Milford court in 1900 and held this position until January I, 1923, when he was ap- pointed assistant clerk at Worcester. Both at Milford and in Worcester, he administered his duties in such a manner that he has won high praise from bench and bar alike and gained the complete confidence of the general public.

As a young man, Major Pond joined the Mas- sachusetts National Guards as a member of Com- pany M, 6th Infantry. He rose through all the grades to captain, which was his rank at the time the United States entered the World War. In March, 1917, he was called to active service and was assigned with his company to guard the rail- roads from Springfield to Beckett. On July 5th he was sent to Framingham, Massachusetts, where mobilization was in progress, and on July 20th was ordered with his company to Camp Devens to guard the camp. In September, 1917, he was again ordered to Camp Bartlett, then successively to Charlotte, North Carolina, and Spartanburg. In August, 1918, he went overseas with the Amer- ican Expeditionary Forces, serving as captain in France until May, 1919, when he returned to the United States. On his return he retained his mili- tary connections, and in 1920 went on the retired list of the Massachusetts National Guards with the rank of major. Major Pond also served for a time as military aide to Governor Draper. He is a mem- ber of the American Legion, the military Order of the World War and the D. E. O. A. and is affiliated with Montgomery Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, is a member of the Blue Lodge, and Mount Lebanon Chapter, Royal Arch Masons and Milford Council, Royal and Select Masters. He is also a member of the Benevolent and Pro- tective Order of Elks, the Foresters of America and the Sons of Veterans.

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 50

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