Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 97

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 97

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The firm of Wiley and Foss, of which Mr. Wiley is the senior member, have built a large number of buildings that stand to their credit as contractors and builders of honor, integrity and con- struction genius. Among the buildings they have erected may be mentioned the following : The Fitch- burg Yarn Company's mill, whose construction beat the building record. It was erected in five months and in operation within six months from the day ground was broken, February 14, 1907, to Septem- ber 1, 1907, the first yarn being made October 18, 1907. The magnitude of the project is indicated in the following figures : Steel, 500 tons ; granite, 7,000 tons ; brick, 2,000,000; spruce, 1,000,000 feet; Lime, 2,000 barrels; cement, 18 cars; main mill, three stories. 438 by 115 feet; engine room, 40 by 60 feet; boiler, 27 by 54 feet; brick stack, 164 feet high. The following buildings are all in Fitch- burg; Falulah Paper Company Mill, Water Street

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Fire Station, Colburn Electrical Factory, Belding Estate Apartment House, Fitchburg Paper Com- pany Mill No. 1, S. E. M. Crocker's residence, Shirreff's Worsted Company Mill, Nurses' Home, Burbank Hospital, Hotel Roymond, Quinlan Thea- tre, Coggshall Memorial, Fitchburg Normal School Dormitory. Their buildings throughout New Eng- land include: Elliott Community Hospital, Keene, New Hampshire; Greenwood Memorial and Gard- ner Isolation Hospital, Gardner, Massachusetts; Jay Bridge Paper Company, Jay Bridge, Maine; French Brothers Block, South Framingham, Mas- sachusetts; Troy Blanket Mills, Troy, New Hamp- shire; Windsor Library, Windsor, Vermont; New Home Sewing Machine Company, Orange; duPont Discoloid Company, Inc., and Leominster Hos- pital, Loeminster, Massachusetts; Groton School, Groton, Massachusetts; Aetna Mills, Watertown, Massachusetts; M. E. Converse and Son, Win- chendon, Massachusetts; Louis S. Drake and Com- pany, Allston, Massachusetts; and Columbia Man- ufacturing Company, Greenville, New Hampshire. When the contract for the Tuberculosis Hospital in Worcester was in its first stages of execu- tion, upward of three hundred men were employed for several months. The work went forward cease- lessly and with satisfactory progress, and the com- pletion of the institution gave to the State one of the finest and largest tuberculosis hospitals in Massachusetts and the New England states at an approximate cost of $1,500,000. The hospital plant consists of six buildings, all constructed of fire- proof brick. The main building is 492 feet 8 inches in length and 45 feet in width, four stories high, with a sun porch 18 by 40 feet at either end. The superintendent's house has fifteen rooms, and there is a powerhouse and laundry, 75 feet long and 50 feet wide; a garage for the automobile of the superintendent, and a larger garage with accom- modations for ten cars. There is a nurses' home of forty-five rooms. The hospital dormitories con- tain one hundred and twenty-five beds. There are also two large kitchens, and two operating rooms, an anesthetic room, and a recovery room, all being furnished with the most modern and opproved equipment. A complete fire extinguishing system operates throughout the hospital plant.

WILLIAM E. COLLINS-After an interest- ing and wide experience in life and his profession, William E. Collins came to Worcester, Massachu- setts, in 1929, as the general agent of the John Hancock Life Insurance Company, and has since identified himself with the activities and interests of Worcester. He was born at Providence, Rhode Island, December 18, 1891, son of John S. and Ida M. (Eastwood) Collins, both of whom were na- tives of St. Johns, New Brunswick, the former of whom died in 1899.

William E. Collins was educated in the public schools and under private instruction, later taking special courses in a number of institutions in prep- aration for the practice of accountancy. Very early in his business career he became an accountant and in 1910 became auditor for the New England Tel- ephone and Telegraph Company at Boston, Mas- sachusetts. In 1913 he accepted the post of assist- ant superintendent of the Prudential Life Insurance Company at Boston; in 1918, he went to St. Johns, New Brunswick, as chief accountant with the New Brunswick Telephone Company, and in 1920 re-

turned to Boston, associating himself with the John Hancock Life Insurance Company as special agent and supervisor of full time production, re- maining here for nine years. In 1920 he came to Worcester, Massachusetts, as general agent of the same company, succeeding C. E. Green, who had been general agent for this territory and company for nearly thirty years.

Club and lodge life had never had any great lure for Mr. Collins, his business and his home supply- ing the outlet and the enjoyments which made for his personal happiness. He is a familiar figure in the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, and he is a member of the executive committee of the Massa- chusetts Life Underwriters' Association. His re- ligious faith is that of the Baptist Church. He enjoys sports, mildly, and has a hobby or two. He has a flair for expression, both by speech and writing. He won the first prize offered by the "Life Insurance Press" for the best article for use in the periodical. It was entitled "Helps for the Man on the Job," and won very favorable comment.

In 1910, William E. Collins married Alice M. Robinson of Massachusetts, and they are the parents of five children: I. Clyde R. E., born De- cember 18, 1911, a graduate of high school. 2. John Floyd, born December 4, 1913; high school graduate. 3. C. LeRoy, born July 29, 1916. 4. William E., Jr., born May 22, 1919. 5. Shirley Alice, born June 5, 1928. The last three men- tioned are still students in school.

PATRICK WILLIAM HEHIR-One of the well-known men in Worcester is Patrick William Hehir, who for the past thirty-nine years has been associated with the Worcester post office, rising during that time to his present position as foreman of carriers of that office. He is also known throughout the greater part of New England be- cause of his prominence in sports and his long service as a sports official.

Patrick William Hehir was born in Worcester, November 24, 1872, son of Matthew and Mary (Breen) Hehir, both of whom were born in County Clare, Ireland, and came to this country in 1866. The parents settled in Worcester, where the father met an untimely death, November 21, 1884, while in the employ of the city water depart- ment. The widow, left with a family of six boys, faced her difficult future with steadfast courage and genuine ability and reared all six of her boys to maturity, giving them a good practical educa- tion. She lived to the advanced age of eighty- four years, revered and honored, not only by her six sons, all of whom are today highly respected in the city of Worcester, but also much loved by her wide circle of acquaintances in Worcester and vicinity. Patrick William Hehir, the special sub- ject of this article, attended the public schools of Worcester and after completing his high school course entered Hinman's Business College of this city. Soon after he was eighteen years old, he began his active career by entering the employ of the American Steel and Wire Company, with which company he remained until he was twenty-one years of age. He then entered the service of the United States Government as a letter carrier in the Worces- ter Post Office. For twenty-one years and one month, through sunshine and storm, heat and cold, he served faithfully and well in that capacity,

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making many friends among those whom he served. At the end of this period of service he was ap- pointed foreman of carriers by the late John A. Thayer, then postmaster of Worcester. This pro- motion gave great satisfaction to Mr. Hehir's many friends in Worcester and also to the carriers and employees in the post office, by all of whom he was much liked, and during the twenty years which have passed since that appointment Mr. Hehir has continued faithfully and efficiently to perform the duties of foreman. He is now rounding out a continuous service of forty years, the longest, with one or two exceptions, served by any man in the office. He has met each responsibility with the same whole-hearted interest and efficiency which he gives to every undertaking, and is considered one of the most valuable members of the Worces- ter postal organization.

Along with his efficient performance of his post office duties, Mr. Hehir has found time to continue and develop his interest in sports which had its beginning in his boyhood, and probably few are as well known in athletic activities in the East as is he. He has served as referee in basketball games for all the Eastern colleges, as well as for many high schools, military leagues, boys' clubs and in professional basketball contests. He has also umpired many baseball games, officiated at several intercollegiate football contests, and for several years has served as referee in wrestling and box- ing bouts and as an official at track meets. These activities have brought him wide prominence in Eastern athletic circles. He is known not only as a capable official, but as an unfailingly just one, and his services in these fields have been in steady de- mand. He is also greatly interested in fishing and hunting, and in April, 1933, he was honored by election to the presidency of the Worcester County League of Rod and Gun clubs, an organization of 10,000 members. This distinction came to him in recognition of his long continued interest in these sports and his many contributions to their ad- vancement. Mr. Hehir is also a director of the Worcester County Fish and Game Association and vice-president of the Worcester County Kennel Club. He owns a number of pedigreed dogs, among which are several Irish setters, his favor- ite breed. Fraternally, Mr. Hehir is affiliated with the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks and the Knights of Columbus, of which he is a Past Grand Knight of Alhambra Coun- cil, of Worcester, and a member of the fourth degree. He is a member of the National Associa- tion of Post Office Clerks, secretary and treasurer of the National Association of Postal Supervisors, and also retains his membership in the National Association of Letter Carriers.

Partick William Hehir married, July 27, 1893, Mary McCann, who died February 22, 1933, daughter of Matthew R. and Catherine (Doon) McCann. The passing of Mrs. Hehir brought deep sorrow not only to her family but to a host of friends who, through the years of her active life, had learned and tested her worth. Beloved as a faithful wife and tender mother, her influence extended beyond her family circle and became an inspiration and a blessing to all with whom she came in contact. Her passing left a void which cannot be filled, but her influence remains in the hearts of those who knew her best. Mr. and Mrs. Hehir's surviving children are: I. Matthew, in

the ignition business; married Rose Panczyk and has two children. 2. Mary, married John Trom- bly, connected with the Gulf Refining Company. 3. Frank, engaged in the plumbing business; mar- ried Ethel Tee. 4. Edward, a mason. 5. Paul, a guard in the Worcester County Jail; married Beatrice Mains and has five children. 6. Thomas, connected with the New England Power Com- pany; married Grace Goeckler and has two chil- dren. 7. Frederick. 8. Aloysius. 9. Leo. 10. Helen. a graduate of Massachusetts State College. The Hehir residence is located at No. 4 Bayberry Road, Worcester.

ELBERT R. ALLEN-Born in Northford, Connecticut, Mr. Allen has spent his entire busi- ness life in the shoe industry. For seventeen years he was associated with the Regal Shoe Company, of Boston, for many years serving in the capacity of comptroller, and toward the last as director of manufacturing. In October, 1924, he entered the employ of Melville Shoe Corporation as comptrol- ler, being elected to the office of treasurer in December, 1928.

The Melville corporation, largest and most im- portant chain shoe store operator in the country, does no manufacturing of its own, but purchases virtually the entire output of some fifteen New England shoe factories for distribution through its 564 John Ward, Rival and Thom McAn stores. These stores, located in 281 cities in thirty-six states as far West as Phoenix, Arizona, constitute the largest strictly shoe retailing business in Amer- ica. Headquarters of the company are at No. 555 Fifth Avenue, New York City, while the warehousing and accounting activities are main- tained at No. 44 Hammond Street, Worcester, Massachusetts. Mr. Allen maintains his offices here, as do many of the company's merchandise executives and buyers.

The Melville warehouse, four stories in height and occupying nearly a city block, is accounted the most efficient of its kind anywhere in the world, having a daily handling capacity of 100,000 pairs of shoes.

WILLIAM GRAY HARRIS-General agent at Worcester, Massachusetts, for the Union Cen- tral Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati, Wil- liam Gray Harris has been engaged in the insur- ance field in this city during his entire active career. He was first associated with the Provident Mutual Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia, and in both connections has demonstrated his business leadership and unusual executive abilities. He is a well-known figure in Worcester life.

Mr. Harris was born at Poultney, Vermont, on September 22, 1879, a son of Charles F. and Mary (Gray) Harris, both natives of Vermont. His father, a machinist by occupation, is now retired.

William Gray Harris was educated in the public schools of his birthplace, and following completion of the high school course in 1896, entered Troy Conference Academy, at Poultney, from which he was graduated in 1898. In the fall of the same year he entered Wesleyan University, where he was graduated in 1902 with the degree of Bachelor of Arts. Immediately afterwards he entered the insurance business at Worcester, Massachusetts, as associated general agent for the Provident Mutual

Wilfred L Cheney

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Life Insurance Company of Philadelphia. He re- mained in this connection until 1922, playing an important part in the local development of the com- pany's business. It was in 1922 that he was ap- pointed general agent of the Union Central Life Insurance Company of Cincinnati for the Worces- ter territory. Mr. Harris' services have been of great value to his company. He has been largely instrumental in strengthening the company through- out Worcester County, building up an extended business. Mr. Harris is a member of the Central Massachusetts Association of Life Insurance Un- derwriters and is president of the New England Association of Union Central agents.

Apart from his insurance connections, he is affil- iated with Morning Star Lodge, Free and Ac- cepted Masons, and is a member of the Appalachian Mountain Club. Mr. Harris is an experienced mountain climber and finds his chief recreation in this hazardous sport. He has climbed Mt. Rain- ier, Mt. Katahdin, various peaks in the California ranges, has explored the Grand Canyon of the Colorado, and has climbed in Canada and Georgia. He has made over forty camping trips to the White Mountains, five trips to the Adirondacks, and ten to the Green Mountains. With his love for the outdoors and his recognition of the value of the outdoor life in building stalwart character, it is natural that Mr. Harris should be attracted to Boy Scout work. He is a member of the Boy Scout Council of Worcester, and chief examiner in camping for the Boy Scouts in the Worcester area. Mr. Harris worships in the Methodist faith. He is an accomplished musician, and for twenty-nine years has been organist and choir director of the Plymouth Church in Worcester.

On June 7, 1903, William Gray Harris married Bessie W. Legg, of Worcester. They are the parents of three children: I. Sarah Fifield, born October 28, 1906. 2. Mary Gray, born on Feb- ruary 28, 1912. 3. Jean Paterson, born on Decem- ber 8, 1914.

ALBERT EUGENE FAY-Among the men of the legal profession in Worcester is Albert Eugene Fay of the firm of Southgate, Fay and Hawley, patent lawyers, whose offices are located at No. 32 Franklin Street.

Albert Eugene Fay was born in East Brook- field, April 9, 1875, son of Willard W. Fay, a textile manufacturer of that town, and Betsy A. (Chapin) Fay, the latter a daughter of the Rev. Daniel E. Chapin. The Fay family traces descent from John Fay, who, when he was eight years old, sailed from England in the ship "Speedwell' in 1656, settled in Sudbury, Massachusetts, and in 1675 was one of the original proprietors of Worces- ter, where he owned a fifty-acre lot in the "east- ern squadron," lying next to the county road to Boston. After attending the schools of East Brookfield and Brookfield High School, Mr. Fay became a student in the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, where he completed his course with grad- uation in 1895, receiving at that time the degree of Bachelor of Science. Later he completed the necessary post-graduate work and in 1900 received the degree of Master of Science. For a time he was employed as a draughtsman in the loom works owned by the Draper Company, at Hopedale, later serving in the same capacity with the L. W. Pond

Machine Company of Worcester and still later in the employ of the Lyman Mills of Holyoke. On April 2, 1898, he enlisted for service in the Spanish- American War, becoming a member of Company D, 2d Massachusetts Regiment of Volunteer In- fantry, and in the campaign in Cuba took part in the battle of El Caney, July 1; San Juan Hill, July 2-3; and in the siege of Santiago, July 3-10, 1898. In November, 1898, after the close of the war, he was appointed assistant examiner in the metallurgical department of the United States Patent Office at Washington, District of Columbia. This position he filled until January, 1904, when he resigned. He then associated himself with Munn and Company, patent solicitors of New York City. In March, 1906, he entered the employ of South- gate and Southgate, patent lawyers of Worcester, whose offices were located in the Graphic Arts building on Foster Street, Worcester, becoming a member of the firm, the other member at that time being L. W. Southgate. At the present time the firm, which consists of Albert E. Fay and Charles T'. Hawley, operates under the name of Southgate, Fay and Hawley.

Along with his many professional activities, Mr. Fay, while in Washington, District of Columbia, found time to become a regular contributor to "Foundry," "The Iron Age," "The Iron and Steel Review," and other publications devoted to Metal- lurgy and allied subjects. He is a member of the Worcester Society of Antiquity, the Massachusetts Genealogical and Historical Society, the Massachu- setts Society Sons of the American Revolution, the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, the Spanish War Veterans, and the Rotary Club. His religious membership is with the First Universalist Church of Worcester.

Albert Eugene Fay married in Washington, Dis- trict of Columbia, in 1900, Mary Elizabeth Rozelle, who was born in Denver, North Carolnia, daughter of Dr. Charles S. and Zana (Davenport) Rozelle, the latter born in Mecklenburg, North Carolina. Mrs. Fay's father received the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and practiced his profession for many years in North Carolina. Mr. and Mrs. Fay are the parents of four children: I. Barton, born in 1902, died May I, 1921, while a freshman at Harvard College. 2. Elizabeth Davenport, mar- ried Luther B. Martin, a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, class of 1925. They make their home in Westfield, New Jersey, and have one son, Christopher Martin. 3. Charles Rozelle, born in 1908, a graduate of Worcester Polytechnic Insti- tute, class of 1930, is now employed in the patent office at Washington and is also a student in the law department of George Washington University. 4. Chapin, born in 1915, is a sophomore in Wil- liams College.

WILFRED L. CHENEY-Proprietor of one of the oldest printing houses operating under one name or ownership in Worcester, Wilfred L. Cheney has made his establishment one of the most select shops in the trade in this city and county. So high class is the quality of the work produced, that he is known as a specialist in printing for banks and insurance companies. His business is conducted under the style of Cheney, Printer, his establishment being advantageously located in the State Mutual Building.

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The business was founded in 1867 by Mr. Cheney's father, Wheelock A. Cheney, who died July 7, 1907. The mother, prior to marriage, was Lavinia Browning, a native of Hubbardston, Worcester County, who died in 1919.

Wilfred L. Cheney was born in Worcester, March 20, 1872, and received his education in the public schools of this city and at the Highland Military Academy. On leaving school he became an associate of his father in the printing business, and he could not have served under a more desira- ble and expert preceptor. He soon became an able printer himself and thus was of greater value to the success of the business. The elder Mr. Cheney started the shop in 1867 at No. 418 Main Street, Worcester. As the business prospered, due largely to the fine quality of the work turned out, the old quarters became more and more incommodious, and in 1895 it became necessary to move to a larger place. Space was taken at No. 387 Main Street, and the shop was in this location for some years or until its removal to larger and modern quarters in the State Mutual Building on Walnut Street, where it continues to do high-class printing and is in receipt of a steadily increasing volume of

business. Banks and insurance companies are among Mr. Cheney's largest and most constant cus- tomers, for they have experienced the fact that his class of work always is of superior grade, never deviating from the standard long ago set up by this shop. This situation has come about in goodly measure during the present ownership of the business, which began in 1905, when the son came into the business and has since conducted it on such a high plane. Cheney the Printer is re- garded as one of the lively assets of the commer- cial life of Worcester.

Mr. Cheney has served an enlistment in the Massachusetts National Guard. He is a member of the Worcester Chamber of Commerce, and in Masonry is a Knight Templar, a thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Mason and a member of Aleppo Temple of the Mystic Shrine. He is a member of the Worcester Country Club and of a number of other social organizations. His reli- gious fellowship is with Plymouth Congregational Church, Worcester, where he has been a member and trustee.

Mr. Cheney married, in 1890, Emma M. Magur- rin, a native of Massachusetts. Their home in Worcester is one of culture and refinement. In it Mr. Cheney has a large and select library, his works and illustrations on the old clipper ships being one of the largest extant in a private home. Among men of Worcester he is rated very highly for his business ability and standing and for his personal qualities.

REV. JAMES T. REILLY-The Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, at Spencer, is one of the older Roman Catholic parishes in New England and has been in existence for approximately eighty years. The present pastor, the Rev. James T. Reilly, is the successor of a long line of worthy priests.

The earliest known Roman Catholic in Spencer was Thomas Forrest, an Irish immigrant, who settled here between 1832 and 1835. In 1837 his two brothers, John and Richard Forrest, joined him and all worked on "The Western Railroad." Father Fitton tells us that he had "a station" at

Spencer, and therefore he must have held services at Spencer some time before 1839. In the spring of 1840, Jean Corbeil, a French Canadian, took up his residence in the "Yellow House" on the Proc- tor farm. His was the second Roman Catholic family in Spencer. He was known to the com- munity as John Kirby, an Anglicized form of the French name. John and Richard Forrest, broth- ers of the original Irish settler, lived with Jean Corbeil, to whom they were drawn by sympathy of faith. This kindly friendship between the two races represented in the Roman Catholic population of Spencer has continued ever since their day.

In the autumn of 1843 and the spring of 1844 several other Canadian families made a settlement in the town and in 1845 the first mass was offered by Father M. W. Gibson in what was known for years as the "Long House," then owned by Allen Ure. In 1846 Charles Fontain was baptized by Father Gibson in the "Long House." He was the first to receive Catholic baptism in Spencer. Until the year 1852 there were no regular services, but in the autumn of that year Father L'Eveque came to Spencer and began regular meetings in the home of Aleck Bouvier. About this time preparations were begun for building a church. The land upon which the Presbytery now stands was purchased from Lorenzo Livermore on March 7, 1853, and in the following summer Father L'Eveque began the building of a frame church. There were then about one hundred Catholics in the community. The corner stone of the church was laid on the first Sunday in October, Rosary Sunday, 1853, and on that day the entire Catholic population gathered in the Town Hall and filed, in a proces- sion led by the pastor, to the site of the church. The work of building was continued all through the winter and early spring, and in May, 1854, the first services were held in the new church. On the first Sunday in October 1854, the church was dedi- cated by the Rt. Rev. P. T. Fitzpatrick, Bishop of Boston, assisted by the Rev. James Fitton, the Rev. John Boyce, the Rev. Edward Sheridan and Father L'Eveque. Father L'Eveque was desig- nated by Bishop Fitzpatrick to bless the corner stone and the parish was put under the special pro- tection of the Mother of God, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary.

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Worcester county; a narrative history, Volume III, Part 97

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