Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 89

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 89

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He wrote about them in his column in the "Sun- day Telegram" under the name of "Wake Robin." For eleven years he wrote about them, for his own pleasure and for the joy of many thousands who read that column. Many a school child has had his love for Nature awakened and has become a bird lover because of the writings of John Nelson. A man with these interests, with Nature study as his avocation, a friend of the woods, of the flow- ers and of the birds could not be other than a man of kindly heart. Such was John Nelson.

A close intimate association with him for thirty- five years found little dross in his character. The associations in a newspaper office breed a com- radeship seldom found in other work and that com- radeship is not lightly broken. Whatever may befall, the regard is seldom lessened.

By all with whom he came into contact in his work on these newspapers, John Nelson was re- spected and treated with a deference due to a man of his ability and a man long in the profession. To those who have been his more intimate asso- ciates on the editorial staff, those with whom he rubbed elbows, so to speak, with whom he perforce had to discuss affairs of the day and the editorial topics to be treated, the passing from among us of John Nelson is a sad blow. He will be missed and we shall remember him and his kindly soft- spoken way and as time goes on many an anecdote will be told in these newspaper offices about him, as is the wont of newspaper men. All of us will remember him kindly and most of us with deep affection.

HERBERT PARKER-Worcester County folk have always been pleased to claim Herbert Parker, former attorney-general of Massachusetts, as one of their own. He has lived virtually all his life in this jurisdiction, has practiced in the county seat and has served as district attorney of the county and as associate justice of the Second Dis- trict Court of Eastern Worcester. His home is in Lancaster and his large and exacting practice

is centered in Boston, where he has a suite of offices in Barristers Hall.

Born in Charlestown, this State, March 2, 1856, Herbert Parker is a son of George A. and Har- riet Newell (Felton) Parker. Shortly after his birth he accompanied his parents on their re- moval to Lancaster, which town has since been the place of his residence. His preliminary education was received under tutors in private schools, his course including college preparatory work. He satisfied a desire for a liberal education when Harvard College made him a Bachelor of Arts in the class of 1878. In 1905 Tufts College bestowed upon him the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws. He was most fortunate in his law preceptor, the late United States Senator George Frisbie Hoar, of Worcester, under whom he prepared for the bar. In 1882 he was certified for practice and at once became private secretary at Washington, District of Columbia, to Senator Hoar. In the same year he entered actively into practice and since has given attention to his clients' interests at Clinton, Fitch- burg, Worcester, and for many years now at Boston.

Mr. Parker's public service within the pale of the legal profession began in 1886 with his appoint- ment as associate justice of the Second District Court of Eastern Worcester. He held his seat on the bench, displaying fine judicial ability, until 1887, in which year he accepted appointment as assistant district attorney. His capacity as a pro- secutor was quickly perceived, and it was a com- paratively easy matter for him to capture the dis- trict attorneyship of the Middle Massachusetts District, in which office he served until 1899. It was in 1900 that he was chosen by the people of the State for the important post of attorney-general of Massachusetts, taking office early the following year and serving with marked distinction for the term of four years expiring in 1905. Upon the conclusion of his service as the Commonwealth's chief law officer, he established his office in Boston for the practice of law, to which he has since devoted his time and energies. He was counsel to Police Commissioner Curtis at the time of the famous police strike in Boston.

An unusually heavy law practice has not pre- vented Mr. Parker from accepting many civic responsibilities. Among these have been member- ship in the Massachusetts Constitutional Conven- tion, 1917-19; member of the Central Legal Ad- visory Board under the Selective Service Act during the World War; member of the Permanent Legal Advisory Board, No. 14, and enlisted man in the Massachusetts State Guard, during the same period; director of the State Mutual Life Assurance Society, Worcester; trustee of Clark College and Clark University since 1907; member, and now president of board of trustees of the Public Reservations of Massachusetts (also on standing committee); and chairman of the Mas- sachusetts Bay Colony Tercentenary State Com- mission.

Among his professional affiliations are the Mas- sachusetts Bar Association and Worcester County Bar Association, in each of which he has held the office of president, and the Bar Association of the City of Boston, in which he has been pres- ident, and is now a member of its council. He is also a member of the Medico-Legal Society of Massachusetts, the Sentinels of the Republic (direc-

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tor), American Ornithologists Union (associate), Military Efficiency Association- (vice-president), Boston Society of National History, Nuttall Orni- thological Club, New England Historical and Gene- alogical Society. In politics he is aligned with the Republicans, and in religion is in fellowship with the Unitarian denomination. He is a member, and now president of the Union Club, of Boston.

Herbert Parker married, September 22, 1886, Mary Garney Vose, of Lowell, and their children follow: I. George A., born October 8, 1887, grad- uated at Harvard University in 1910, and Har- vard Law School. He was a member of the Mas- sachusetts National Guard, and as a lieutenant of Battery A, Ist Regiment Massachusets Field Artil- lery, he went with his outfit to the Mexican border, and participated in that campaign in 1916. He was commissioned Captain of Battery C of the same regiment, in 1917, which regiment was federalized as the IoIst United States Field Artillery, and was sent overseas in September, 1917, for action in the World War. He had part in a number of offensives and was wounded and gassed in action at Chateau-Thierry in July, 1918. Following dis- charge from the hospital he rejoined his regiment for the St. Mihiel drive and was with the Amer- ican Army in its advance until the signing of the Armistice. He was promoted to the rank of major, and returned with the 102d United States Field Artillery to the United States in April, 1919. He has since served as commander of the Massachu- setts State Police Patrol, which he organized. Following his resignation as captain of the State Police, he was appointed Federal Prohibition Ad- ministrator of New England, the duties of which office he administered for more than three years. He retired from this office on his appointment as Registrar of Motor Vehicles of Massachusetts, in which capacity he served for three years, and in 1931, he resigned as Registrar of Motor Vehi- cles to resume the practice of law, and to take up the duties of trustee of the estate of Lotta M. Crabtree, to which position he was appointed to succeed the late General Clarence R. Edwards. His most recent public service has been as a mem- ber of the State Commission on Emergency Public Works. On September 1, 1927, he married Anne Bradford Holden of New Bedford. 2. Katherine V. Parker, received her education in private finish- ing schools. She became interested in the Auxiliary of the American Legion and in public affairs. An ardent Republican in political faith, she was a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 1932, and has been president of the Women's Re- publican Club of Massachusetts. She is now pres- ident of the Disabled Ex-Service Men's Exchange, Inc. 3. Edith Parker, studied at St. Timothy's School, Catonsville, Maryland, and was graduated from the Nurses Training School of the Massa- chusetts General Hospital. She passed the required State examination and was given the rating of registered nurse. She married Thorvald S. Ross, of Boston and Hingham, and has three children: John Herbert, Thorvald S., Jr., and Patricia. 4. Haven, prepared for college at Milton Academy, graduated with the class of 1922 from Harvard University and Harvard Law School, in 1925. He was assistant United States Attorney for the Mas- sachusetts District from 1930 to 1933, and is now engaged in private practice. He married Barbara C. Neville, of Wellesley, on September 1, 1932.

5. Mary Carney, educated at Miss Walker's School at Simsbury, Connecticut, and graduated at Bryn Mawr College, and at present is Alumnae Coun- cillor for New England. For five years she was assistant to the director of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and is now supervisor of Boston Pub- lic Works of Art Project. 5. Harriet Felton, also prepared for college at Miss Walker's School, and entered Bryn Mawr, where she graduated. She has been for some time secretary to the assistant dean of Radcliffe College.

MATTHEW JOHN WHITTALL-Mat- thew John Whittall, founder of the business of the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., born in Kidder- minster, England, March 10, 1843, was a son of Eli Whittall, a weaver, who had learned his trade on the crude hand looms of his time, and Elisa Whittall. At the age of fourteen he entered the employ of Messrs. Humphries, carpet manufactur- ers of Kidderminster. Although he had risen by careful use of his spare time to the position of assistant superintendent, he left the Humphries plant when he was twenty-one and associated him- self with T. B. Worth, a carpet manufacturer of Stourport, with whom he remained until 1869. In that year he further enlarged his experience by entering the employ of Fawcett and Spurway, and two years later, in 1871, he came to this coun- try and settled in Worcester, where for eight years he served as superintendent of the Compton Carpet Mills. In 1879, having decided to engage in business for himself, he went back to England and purchased eight Crossley carpet looms. Re- turning to Worcester, he leased a building from the Wicks Manufacturing Company and on his eight looms began making carpets. From that time to the day of his death, October 31, 1922, Matthew John Whittall devoted himself to the development of a great manufacturing industry, based on the sound Christian policy of a square deal to all purchasers and fairness and consideration in all dealings with his men. As his business grew, it became necessary to enlarge his plant steadily. In 1882 another story was added to the building al- ready in use and eight additional looms were installed. In 1883 a new mill was completed and machinery from the Wicks building and fourteen new looms were put in operation there. In 1884 an extension was added, with twelve more looms, making forty-two in all. By this time a part of the land and all of the buildings of the Paka- choag Mill property had been purchased and an- other mill was erected, to house seventeen new looms. Six-frame and five-frame Wilton and Body Brussels carpets were now being manufactured so rapidly that three hundred and twenty hands were employed in 1889, when Mr. Whittall erected Whittall Mill No. 2, a two-story brick building for spinning and weaving, and added another story to the spinning mill, which had been named the Edgeworth Mill, in honor of his only daughter. Meanwhile Alfred Thomas, nephew of Mr. Whit- tall, had come from England and been made a partner in the Edgeworth Spinning Mills which Mr. Whittall had erected on the site of the Packa- choag Spinning Mills, wiped out by fire in 1880. Still the business grew and the plant was further expanded. Whittall Mill No. 3, a two-story brick building, was added in 1893, and in the same year the mill of the Palmer Carpet Company, at Palmer,

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with its twenty-four looms, was purchased, adding one hundred hands to the necessary working force. In 1897 Matthew P. Whittall (q. v.), the found- er's son, became associated with the business, and four years later the William J. Hogg plant, which included the original Crompton Mill in which Mr. Whittall had worked as superintendent twenty years earlier, was purchased. In 1902 a story was added to Mill No. 2, the mills purchased from Mr. Hogg were improved, the water power was developed, and two new turbine wheels were added; and in 1903 the capacity of the old Crompton Mill was doubled. A year later one of the finest dye houses in the country was built. This was equipped with the most modern washers, dyers and drying machines, and its upper story was used for storing worsted yarns. Next, a central power plant dis- tributing to all the groups of buildings replaced the three smaller power plants, and the year 1905 witnessed the erection of a six-story wool ware- house and the addition of a third story and tower to Mill No. 3. From 1906 to 1916 there was a steady increase in the size of the plant. Worcester Carpet Mill No. 3, a four-story building, 145 feet long by 60 feet wide, with a brick building for supply rooms and a piping and blacksmith shop were added in 1906; a four-story building, 266 feet by 60, with offices on the fourth floor, and a coal pocket of ten thousand tons capacity, were added in 1910; and early in 1916 the plant of the Cochrane Manufacturing Company, consisting of seven buildings and a power house, with 600- horsepower water privilege, was purchased. The old machinery was junked and new equipment in- stalled to meet the heavy demands of war work. Meanwhile, in 1906, the business had been reorgan- ized under the name of The Whittall Associates, with Matthew John Whittall as president and treasurer, and his son, Matthew Percival Whittall, as assistant treasurer. Thus the modest industry begun by the much-loved and highly honored Mat- thew John Whittall has prospered and grown into one of the largest exclusive manufacturers of high quality floor coverings.

The founder of the company was known not only for his development of a vast industrial organization but for his own splendid life of sincere service-to his employees, who regarded him as a true friend and helper, and to his fellow- townsmen and his many personal friends and asso- ciates. The regard in which he was held by his employees is indicated by the reception given him upon his return from a trip abroad, May 1, 1922, when sixteen hundred of his workers gathered at the mills to welcome him and, with their emotion and their affection plainly visible in their faces, sang "Auld Lang Syne." Upon coming to his office, he found upon his desk a letter that closed with the following significant statement: "Know- ing from past experience that you will meet us more than half-way, and believing that individually and as an industrial family the most prosperous days are ahead of you, we remain, Very truly yours. "

Mr. Whittall was a high Mason, being a mem- ber of Isaiah Thomas Lodge at Worcester and a member of all bodies of both York and Scottish Rites, including the Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; the Commandery, Knights Templar; Worcester Lodge of Perfection; Lawrence Chapter, Rose Croix; Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem;

and Massachusetts Consistory. That often sought, but rarely accorded honor-elevation to the thirty- third degree of the Scottish Rite-was conferred upon him in recognition of his distinguished career and inany years of service to the Masonic Order.

For more than fifty years Mr. Whittall served as warden of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church at Worcester and in 1894, after the old church had been destroyed by fire, he presented the parish with a new edifice. This church is largely composed of employees of the Whittall mills, and throughout his life Mr. Whittall took a deep interest in its affairs. The needs of its individual families re- ceived his personal attention and over its mem- bers he exercised an almost patriarchal care. This interest in St. Matthew's Church has been con- tinued by later generations of the Whittall fam- ily. Mr. Whittall also presented a beautiful side chapel to St. Mary's Church, Kidderminster, Eng- land, which has been named the Whittall Chapel, in his honor. It bears witness not only to his love for his native town but also to his gratitude for the early religious influence which helped him to find so much of happiness and gave him the strength to serve his fellows during his long and useful life.

Matthew John Whittall and his first wife, Ellen Paget, daughter of Henry and Mary (Grout) Paget, were married in Stourport, England, in 1868. She died in November, 1895. Matthew John Whittall married (second), in 1906, Ger- trude Clarke, only daughter of the Hon. and Mrs. Henry T. Clarke, of Omaha, Nebraska.

MATTHEW PERCIVAL WHITTALL- Matthew Percival Whittall, present executive head of the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., has been connected with this important Worcester industry during his entire active career. In his varied inter- ests, both in business and civic affairs, he con- tinues the fine tradition so long associated at Worcester with the family name.

Mr. Whittall was born at Worcester, July 6, 1874, a son of Matthew John Whittall (q. v.), founder of the original Whittall Company, and of Ellen (Paget) Whittall. He received his pre- paratory education at Dalsell school and subse- quently entered Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he was a member of the class of 1896. He was transferred to Harvard College as a member of the class of 1898 and upon completion of his course entered the M. J. Whittall Company, large manu- facturers of carpets. He was active in the com- pany during its subsequent remarkable develop- ment, assuming larger responsibilities in its opera- tion with passing years. When the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., was organized in 1906, he was elected assistant treasurer and, with his father's death in 1922, he succeeded him in the presidency of the company. This office he now holds. Mr. Whittall is also a director of the Institute of Car- pet Manufacturers, vice-president of the G. F. Wright Steel and Wire Company and a director of the Worcester Manufacturers Mutual Insurance Company. He is a director of the Worcester County National Bank, a trustee of the Peoples Savings Bank and was an incorporator of the Worcester County Institution for Savings.

In spite of the pressure of his large business interests, Mr. Whittall has also been very active in Worcester civic life. He was an incorporator of the Worcester Boys' Club and the Perkins

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School for the Blind. He is a member of the Municipal Memorial Auditorium Committee, a member of the board of trustees of the Worcester Young Men's Christian Association and the Worcester Horticultural Society, a member of the executive board of the Worcester Boy Scouts, vice- president of the Worcester Oratorio Society, vice- president of the Worcester County Musical Asso- ciation and vice-president of the Worcester Natu- ral History Society. Mr. Whittall is also pres- ident of the New England Federation of Har- vard Clubs, president of the Harvard Club of Worcester, vice-president of the Associated Har- vard Clubs, a member of the board of governors of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, a mem- ber of the board of governors of the Worcester Club, a director of the Worcester Rotary Club and a member, in addition, of the Harvard Club of Boston, the British Empire Club, the Tatnuck Country Club, the New York Yacht Club, the Beverly Yacht Club, the Kittansit Club and the Tennis and Racquet Club. Fraternally, he is affil- iated with Isaiah Thomas Lodge and Matthew John Whittall Lodge, Free and Accepted Ma- sons. He is prominent in this order, being a mem- ber of many higher bodies, among them Eureka Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; Hiram Council, Royal and Select Masters; Worcester County Com- mandery, Knights Templar; Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem; Worcester Lodge of Per- fection: Lawrence Chapter, Rose Croix; Massa- chusetts Consistory, Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite; and Aleppo Temple, Ancient Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. He is also a mem- ber of Prince Consort Lodge, Sons of St. George; Worcester Lodge, Benevolent and Protective Or- der of Elks; and Worcester Lodge, Loyal Order of Moose. Mr. Whittall is an honorary member of the Worcester City Guard and the Garde Inde- pendante. He is a member and Senior Warden of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and a lead- ing Episcopal layman at Worcester, serving as trustee of the diocese, a member of the diocesan standing committee and a member of the board of managers of the diocese. Mr. Whittall's varied interests and fine public spirit combine to make him one of Worcester's leading citizens. He has exercised a wholesome and constructive influence in its life for many years.

On February 20, 1900, at Whitinsville, he mar- ried Betsy Whitin, daughter of George Milnor and Julia (Fuller) Whitin. Mr. and Mrs. Whit- tall have four children: I. Matthew Whitin Whit- tall (q. v.), born September 23, 1901. 2. James Paget Whittall (q. v.), born July 25, 1903. 3. Betsy Whittall, born September 26, 1905. 4. Mat- thew John Whittall, II, born November 22, 1917.

MATTHEW WHITIN WHITTALL- Prominent among the younger men engaged in the carpet manufacturing industry is Matthew Whitin Whittall, who since 1928 has served as assistant treasurer of the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., present owners of the great carpet manufacturing plant established by Mr. Whittall's grandfather, Matthew John Whittall.

Matthew Whitin Whittall, son of Matthew Per- cival Whittall (q. v.) and Betsy (Whitin) Whit- tall, and grandson of the founder of Whittall Associates, was born in Worcester, September 23, 1901. He attended the Fessenden School in West

Newton, Massachusetts, and then entered the Woodland School at Phoenicia, in the Catskills, New York. He prepared for entrance into the Philadelphia Textile School by a course in the Pomfret School, at Pomfret, Connecticut, but be- fore he could enter the Textile School his health became so poor that he was sent to the hospital for prolonged treatment. In 1920, at the age of nineteen, he entered the Whittall Mills and three years later was made manager of the Seamless Mills. In 1928 he was made assistant treasurer of the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., which official position he still holds. Mr. Whittall is a charter member and very active in the work of the Massachusetts Advisory Board on Air Craft. He is well known in fraternal circles in Worces- ter and vicinity, being a member of Isaiah Thomas Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons, of Worcester; Worcester Lodge of Perfection; Lawrence Chap- ter, Rose Croix; Goddard Council, Princes of Jerusalem; and Massachusetts Consistory. He is also a member of Prince Consort Lodge, Sons of St. George. His club interests are many and varied, including membership in the Bancroft Auto- mobile Club, which he has served as president since 1931; Worcester Club; Tatnuck Country Club; Rotary Club; Quiet Birdmen of America; Worcester Fish and Game Club; Worcester Pistol and Rifle Club; Box Four Associates; chairman of Troop No. 68 and civic service chairman of Worcester Area Council, Boy Scouts of Amer- ica; Worcester Outboard Motor Association; and Beverly Yacht Club. His religious affiliation is with St. Matthew's Episcopal Church.

Matthew Whitin Whittall was married, at Worcester, November 20, 1928, to Bernice E. Plante, daughter of John J. and Mary Plante. Mr. and Mrs. Whittall have one son, Matthew Percival Whittall, 2d, born December 13, 1931.

JAMES PAGET WHITTALL-As vice- president of the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., James Paget Whittall is identified with one of the largest and best known carpet manufacturing plants in the country. He is also treasurer of Worcester Airport, Inc., and one of the active developers of that corporation.

James Paget Whittall was born in Worcester, July 25, 1903, a son of Matthew Percival Whit- tall (q. v.) and of Betsy (Whitin) Whittall. He is a grandson of Matthew John Whittall, founder of the vast Whittall interests. Mr. Whittall at- tended the Fay School of Southboro, Massachu- setts, from which he was graduated in 1916, and then began his college preparatory course in St. Mark's School, Southboro, from which he was graduated in 1921. The following fall he entered Harvard College, from which he received the de- gree of Bachelor of Arts in 1925. While a stu- dent at Harvard, he became a member of the United States Officers' Reserve Corps, being com- missioned a first lieutenant.

In 1926, Mr. Whittall became actively associated with the M. J. Whittall Associates, Ltd., continu- ing the family tradition established by Matthew John Whittall in the last century. (A full account of the company and its founder appears elsewhere in these pages.) In 1928 Mr. Whittall was made manager of the "seamless division" of the busi- ness and in 1930 was elected vice-president of the company, which office he has since held. In addi-

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 89

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