Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County, Maine, Part 15

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 722

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charter member of the Builders' Exchange, of which also he has been President. He was one of the founders of the Casco Building Loan Association, and also of the Portland Building Loan Association, and has been a member of the Security Committee of each since they were organized.

In politics he is a Republican, and was a member of the Common Council in 1875-76, representing Ward 5; and in 1889 he was Alderman from Ward 4. He has been a mem- ber of the Republican City Committee for fif- teen years, and Treasurer of the same for two or three years. In 1880 he was elected to the State legislature, and was re-elected in 1881. He belongs to Ancient Landmark Lodge, A. F. & A. M., Greenleaf Chapter, St. Albans Commandery, and Egyptian Rite of Mem- phis; and he was Senior Warden of Ligonia Lodge, and now Vice-Grand of Independent Order of Odd Fellows and Falmouth Encamp- ment. He is a member of the Maine Chari- table Mechanic Association, of which he has been President. He also belongs to the Port- land Club; and in temperance work he takes an active interest, and is a member of the Good Templars and the Sons of Temperance.

Mr. Redlon has been twice married. His first wife, to whom he was united in 1856, was Alcadania A. (Cushing) Redlon, daughter of Dr. John Cushing, of Lewiston, Me. She died in 1863, leaving two sons: Franklin R., who is now associated with his father in business; and Harry, who died at the age of three years. In 1866 Mr. Redlon was united to his second wife, Sarah P., daughter of Thomas Files, of Portland. Mrs. Redlon is a professing mem- ber of the Chestnut Street Methodist Church, which her husband also attends and supports. Franklin R. Redlon, who became associated with his father in business in 1889, was born July 17, 1857, and is a graduate of the Port- land High School. A resident of Deering, he has been active in the politics of that city as a member of the City Committee, and as an Alderman from Ward 6 for the second year that Deering was a city. He was Chairman of the Light Committee, which during his term made a contract with the Deering Electric Light Company to light the streets of the city. He was also Chairman of the Committee on

Fire Department, serving the following year as Chairman of the Board of Aldermen. He is a member of Ancient Landmark Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of which he is present Master ; Greenleaf Chapter, of which he is Scribe; be- longs to Portland Council; is Generalissimo in St. Albans Commandery ; and is a member of Yates Lodge of Perfection; and he belongs to Harmony Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; to the Maine Charitable Mechanic Association; and to the Portland Athletic Club, of which he was a charter member and in which he took a great interest while he lived in Portland. He was Captain of the old fire company in Ward 6, and has for years belonged to the Builders' Exchange, of which he is Vice-President. On August 29, 1880, he was married to Jennie E., daughter of John A. Hennigan, of Maitland, N.S. ; and their home has been brightened by two children - Nathan C. and Lena F. They have a hand- some residence at 46 Brown Street, which Mr. Redlon erected in 1875. He attends and sup- ports the Episcopal church in Deering, of which his wife is a member.

ALVIN S. GODDARD, a highly successful wholesale and retail florist, doing business at 3 Leland Street, Deering Centre, was born in Bruns- wick, Me., April 5, 1826, son of Robert and Abigail S. (Winslow) Goddard. His grand- father was Robert Goddard, Sr. ; and his great- grandfather, James Goddard, who was a resi- dent of Falmouth, Mc., was a Quaker, and a member of one of the first societies of Friends organized in the State of Maine. Robert God- dard, Jr., father of our subject, was a success- ful agriculturist, of Brunswick, Me. His wife, Abigail, reared three sons and a daugh- ter - James, Sarah, Charles, and Calvin S. Both parents have passed away.

Calvin S. Goddard, the youngest child of his parents, received a practical education in the common schools of Brunswick, and sub- sequently spent a short time in a private school, where he studied the higher English branches. He then taught school for a few months, relinquishing that occupation at the age of sixteen to learn the shoemaker's trade,

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which he subsequently followed for about twenty years. Being the owner of a piece of land, he carried on a small nursery business in connection with his shoemaking. He then went to Westbrook, or Morrill's Corner, as it was then called, where he was employed for twelve months at a salary of a thousand dollars a year. Purchasing the Evergreen Nursery from John W. Adams, he conducted it for about eight years, and, after dividing the land up into house lots, sold it. The next four years were spent in Lynn, Mass., with C. A. Coffin & Co., in the manufacture of boots and shoes, Mr. Goddard having charge of the lasting and Mckay stitching-room. Failing health caused him to return to Deering, Me., where he purchased three house lots, on which he erected a dwelling the first year, and began in a small way the florist's business, which has since attained such large proportions. Mr. Goddard has now about an acre of land on which are his greenhouses, and an idea of their size may be gained from the fact that ten thousand square feet of glass are required to cover them. It is now upward of twenty years since he established this business, and thus far during the current year his business in cut flowers amounts to about six thousand dollars.

Mr. Goddard married Miss Lucy R. Varney, a daughter of Stephen and Mary (Pettingill) Varney. Her father was a native of Bruns- wick, and her mother of Lewiston, Me. Four children have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Goddard, as follows: Lewis C., who is fore- man for his father, married Miss Maria Cart- land, a daughter of Stephen and Elmira (Day) Cartland, and has three children - Annette M., Lucile B., and Alice M. ; Mary E., the wife of Moses M. Hawks, having lost three children, has six living - Lucy A., Howard C., Harold L., Nathaniel, Mary Florence, and Robert E. ; Stephen B. died in infancy; Ed- ward H., a resident of Deering, married Miss Ella O. Harmon, a daughter of Samuel Har- mon, and has three children - Calvin S., Eunice, and Bernice Ida.

Mr. and Mrs. Goddard are Quakers in re- ligious belief, and he has acted as minister in the Friends' church in Portland for a quarter of a century.

J OSEPH H. HEZELTON, a well-known resident of Westbrook and the popular proprietor and captain of a summer steamboat, was born in Westbrook, March 13, 1839, son of Ivory and Hannah (Thompson) Hezelton. The family is of Colonial origin. It began with two brothers, Robert and John Hezelton, who settled upon land bordering on the Merrimack River, now occupied by the present town of Bradford, Mass. Jonathan Hezelton, Mr. Hezelton's grandfather, who was a direct descendant of one of these brothers, was a native of Brad- ford, and served as a soldier in the Revolu- tionary War. While serving in the Conti- nental Army, he acquired a reputation for feats of strength. Possessed of a powerful frame, he was able to cut two cords of wood in a day. He followed agriculture as an occupation.

Ivory Hezelton, Mr. Hezelton's father, was born in Waterboro, York County, in 1804. When a young man, he settled in Westbrook, where he engaged in teaming. He had a con- tract to transport paper stock from the mills to Portland, and later he did the teaming for the Westbrook Manufacturing Company. In 1866 he sold his equipment to his son Joseph H., and retired from business. He was deeply interested in the general welfare and improve- ment of the community, of which he was an esteemed member; and he was prominent among the progressive and liberal residents of the town. He was connected with Temple Lodge, No. 86, A. F. & A. M., in which he was for some time an official. He also had affiliation with the old lodge of Odd Fellows, dating from 1846, until it disbanded, when he retired from the order. Politically, he was a Republican. In his religious views he was a Methodist, of which church he was an active member for many years. He passed the last years of his life in retirement at his home in Westbrook, and died in 1884. His wife, Hannah, who was a native of Westbrook, be- came the mother of eight children, seven of whom are living. Of these Harriet C. is the wife of Stillman Barbour, of Washington, D. C. ; Almery resides in Lewiston, Me. ; Re- liance L. is the wife of Stephen M. Dresser, of Westbrook ; and Gardner is a resident of Westbrook.

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Joseph H. Hezelton attended the public schools of his native town, graduating from the high school in 1856. After leaving school, he engaged in teaming. Ten years later he succeeded to his father's interests in that busi- ness, and he subsequently did the trucking for the Westbrook Manufacturing Company for some twenty-five years. At the same time he was also successfully carrying on a farm. During the Civil War he was employed for some time on board a transport steamer. The experience he obtained here was of use to him when, upon relinquishing the trucking busi- ness, he became the owner and commander of a pleasure steamboat. He runs his boat from Westbrook to Mallison Falls, South Windham, in the summer season, and finds it both an agreeable and remunerative employment.

On October 11, 1863, Mr. Hezelton was united in marriage to Mary E. Schwartz, daughter of John C. Schwartz, of Westbrook. Of his six children five are living, namely : William L., a resident of Brookline, Mass. ; Nellie L., wife of O. B. Vinal, of Vinal Haven, Me .; Joseph H., Jr., who is engaged with T. H. Snow in the plumbing business in Westbrook; Alice M., who resides at home ; and Mildred H., who is attending school in Westbrook. In politics Mr. Hezelton supports the Republican party. He served as a member of the Board of Selectmen in the old town government for the years 1881 and 1883, and under the city charter he has been an As- sessor since 1892. Socially, Mr. Hezelton is popular with his fellow-citizens, among whom he has a wide acquaintance. In Saccarappa Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, of which he is a member, he has a high standing, having been elected to the various seats of honor in that organization. Eighteen years ago he united with the Methodist Episcopal church, with which he has been officially con- nected as a Trustee, Steward, and Secretary of the Board.

APTAIN ALBERT BRAGG, senior commander of the Maine Steamship Company's line, was born at Hyan- nis, Mass., August 31, 1838, son of John and Cyrena (Baxter) Bragg. Hyannis

was for many years the home of the Braggs and the Baxters. Baxter Bragg, grandfather of Captain Bragg, was one of the early settlers there.

John Bragg was probably born in Hyannis, which was his boyhood's home. He went to sea when quite young, and first commanded a fisherman, then a coaster, following the sea up to the time of his death. His wife, who is the daughter of John B. Baxter, of Hyannis, is still living. They reared ten children, the subject of this sketch being the eldest son and the eldest surviving member of the fam- ily. Cornelia is now the widow of Charles Hardwick, of Bridgeport, Conn .; James B. is a practising physician in Bridgeport; Martha D., twin sister of James, is the wife of Will- iam A. Hallett, of Hyannis; Jennie is married to T. P. Lovell, of Boston, a member of the firm of John P. Lovell & Sons; John P. re- sides in Brooklyn ; Amanda, who was the wife of Dr. Liston, of Albany, N. Y., died some time since, leaving five children; Wallace died, leaving two children; Emma, who was the wife of Edward Gage, of Boston, has also passed from life, leaving two children; and another child died in infancy.

Albert Bragg received his early education in the schools of Hyannis. He first went to sea when ten or twelve years old, accompany- ing his father on a fishing trip. From that time until he was fourteen he made frequent voyages of the same sort. In 1852, though only a boy of fourteen, he shipped as an ordi- nary seaman, under command of Captain Orrin B. Bearse, on the ship "Berlin," which sailed from New York to San Francisco, and was one hundred and eighty days making the voyage. The vessel remained in San Fran- cisco some weeks, and young Bragg had an opportunity to witness some of the curious phases of life on the Pacific coast in those wild days. His uncle, John B. Baxter, who was third mate of the "Berlin," remained in San Francisco, and is still living there. The vessel next went to the Chintz Islands, Peru- vian territory, where she remained two. or three months, loading with guano. It next sailed to Callao, where the crew were given a furlough for some time. The next stop was at Baltimore, and it was two years before the

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"Berlin " finally reached home. Mr. Bragg left the vessel on arriving home, and engaged in the coasting trade. When he was nineteen years of age, he was Captain of a coaster, a schooner named the "Cape May." He has since commanded the "New Delight," the "T. P. Bell," and the "Julia Smith," all coasting vessels. In 1867 he entered the em- ploy of the Maine Steamship Company, as first officer of the "Chesapeake," plying be- tween Portland and New York; and within six months was appointed Captain. He was afterward in charge of the steamer "Fran- conia " for nine years, of the "Eleanora " for a long time, master of the "Cleopatra," and of the "Winthrop" when she made her first trips and he has had charge of the steamers "Doris," "Rapidan," and "San Antonio," while the other boats were being repaired. When the company's last and finest steamer, the "Manhattan," was finished, Captain Bragg was made her master - a position which he has held since 1891. The "John Englis," a new steamship now being built by the company, will be ready in January, and will be com- manded by Captain Bragg. He has never lost a boat or a passenger; and the number of his friends increases with every trip, his many agreeable characteristics drawing people to him by an irrestible magnetism.

March 7, 1861, Captain Bragg was married to Rosetta, daughter of Eleazer and Sally (Smith) Crowell, of Hyannis, who was born August 2, 1843. Mrs. Bragg also belongs to an old Hyannis family. Her grandfather, Judah Crowell, who was Captain of a coasting- vessel, resided in that town, while her father was born there. The last-named gentleman was one of the early engineers of the Old Colony Railroad, and was a resident of Hyan- nis during his lifetime. Captain Bragg has one son, Albert C., born March 22, 1863, who is a clerk in the Boston & Maine freight office at Portland. Captain Bragg votes in the ranks of the Republican party. He is a member of Ancient Brothers Lodge, Inde- pendent Order of Odd Fellows, and of the Pilots' Association, Manhattan Harbor, No. 12. In religious belief he and his wife are liberal. They have a pleasant home at Portland.

ELVILLE C. STONE, a citizen and native of the town of Bridgton, was born October 5, 1840, being of pioneer antecedents. His grandfather, William Stone, an early settler of this place, was a farmer by occupation. He served in the War of 1812, holding a Cap- tain's commission. Joshua Stone, the father of Melville C., was born and lived and died in Bridgton, being for many years busily engaged in farming. He married Abigail Seaver, a daughter of Ebenezer Seaver, her father being also a soldier in the War of 1812, and a pioneer of Cumberland County, where he took up one hundred and sixty acres of wild land, from which he redeemed a farm. Mr. and Mrs. Joshua Stone reared six children, namely : Melville C .; Marshall; Belle P .; Josephine, deceased; R. B. Stone, deceased; and Frankie J. Both parents rounded a full period of years, the mother passing away in 1889, and the father in 1895, on August 5, in the eighty-second year of his age.

Melville C. Stone was reared upon the home farm, where he was early initiated into the various duties that fall to a farmer's son, his help, when out of school, being needed by his father. He remained on the homestead until nineteen years of age, when he went to Law- rence, Mass., where he worked for a while, going thence to Worcester, in the same State. While there, he enlisted in Company I, Twenty-first Massachusetts Volunteer Infan- try, being mustered into service August 22, 1861. He went to the front with his regi- ment, and was an active participant in the battles at Roanoke Island and Newbern, but, being disabled, was obliged to go into the hospital, where he remained a year, seriously ill a part of the time, being greatly reduced in strength, and losing flesh so rapidly that at one time he weighed but ninety-five pounds. In 1863 Mr. Stone received his discharge, after which he returned to the parental roof. In January, 1864, he again enlisted, joining the First Maine Battery, which won distinc- tion among the brave regiments that took part in the engagements at Fort Stevens, in the Shenandoah Valley, and afterward at the battles of Bolivar Heights and Cedar Creek. Mr. Stone continued with his company until

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the cessation of hostilities, when in July, 1865, he was honorably discharged from the service.

He then remained a resident of this county until 1878, when he went to Philadelphia, Pa., where he was engaged in business ten years. In 1888 Mr. Stone purchased his present snug farm of fifty acres, on which he has since made substantial improvements. He pos- sesses a scientific knowledge of agriculture, which he carries on in a systematic and prac- tical manner, his estate bearing unmistakable evidence of his ability and good management. As a citizen, he is held in high regard through- out the community in which he resides, being an upright, trustworthy man, of prompt and decisive character. Politically, he is a stanch Republican, and a firm believer in the prin- ciples of his party.

EORGE WILLIAM YORK, Treas- urer of the Maine Central Railroad was born in Portland, Me., May 28,

1854. His parents were Joseph S. and Frances A. (Illsley) York, the former of Fal- mouth, Me., the latter of Portland. His pa- ternal grandfather was one of the old residents of Falmouth, owning a farm in that town, and was also Lieutenant of a revenue cutter in the harbor for two years.

Joseph S. York was educated in Falmouth, and in early manhood he engaged in the busi- ness of sail-making. He was for nearly a quarter of a century established on Commer- cial Street and Central Wharf, in company with a Mr. Adams, under the firm name of Adams & York; and they were one of the lead- ing sail-making firms in the city. On the death of Mr. Adams Mr. York joined his in- terests with those of a Mr. Waite, who was also extensively engaged in sail-making. Some years later this partnership was dis- solved, and Mr. York made one of his sons his business associate, changing the firm name to J. S. York & Son. This firm conducted a large business until the death of Mr. York, which occurred January 8, 1886. He was then fifty-five years old.

Mr. Joseph S. York was a moving spirit in political affairs of this district, and he was

elected Alderman and Councilman a number of times from Ward I on the Republican ticket. In social affairs also he took an ac- tive interest, and was a member of Atlantic Lodge, A. F. & A. M. He married Frances A. Illsley, a daughter of Theophilus Illsley, an old and respected builder of Portland; and they had the following children: George William; Frederick H., who was his father's partner in the sail-making business, and now is sole proprietor of the establishment; and Frank W., who is Assistant Treasurer of the Maine Central Road. The mother is still living.

George William York received his educa- tion in Portland, graduating from the high school at the age of seventeen, in the class of 1871. He worked for some time as a clerk, and was employed by Loring, Short & Har- non just prior to the beginning of his career as a railroad man. In May, 1876, he ob- tained a clerkship in the general ticket office of the Maine Central Railroad, under Colonel Boothby, general passenger agent, which he retained seven years. In 1883 he was trans- ferred to the Treasurer's office, where he was book-keeper for some time; in September, 1883, was elected Auditor; and in January, 1892, was made Treasurer of the road. He has likewise been Treasurer of the Portland, Mount Desert & Machias Steamboat Com- pany since 1885, and of the Knox & Lincoln Railway since December, 1893. Mr. York's official positions entail heavy responsibilities, and require of their incumbent the highest in- tegrity, combined with financial ability. As Treasurer of the Maine Central Railroad alone, he is obliged to receive and disburse enormous sums of money, that being the largest corporation in the State, with gross earnings of five million dollars.

On Christmas Day, 1876, Mr. York was united in marriage with Miss Nellie E. Rich- mond, of Portland, daughter of E. R. Rich- mond, of Lynn, Mass.

In politics Mr. York is a Republican. He is an Odd Fellow, belonging to Beacon Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and is Past Chief Patriarch of Portland Encampment. In athletic and military matters he is also in- terested, being a member of the Portland Ath-

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letic Club and Bramhall League; and he was Lieutenant in the Portland Cadets, an inde- pendent company not attached to the militia. Mr. York has a handsome residence on Atlan- tic Street, Portland.

AMUEL KNIGHT, engaged in the hardware business in Bridgton, Me., was born in this town, November 4, 1836, being one of a family of four sons and three daughters born to his parents, James W. and Nancy Chase Knight. Samuel was rearcd to agricultural labor, remaining beneath the parental roof-tree until the spring of 1861, when he started out to see something of the world, going first to Massachusetts, then to De Kalb County, Illinois, where he stayed until September I.

Returning then to his early home, Mr. Knight enlisted as Fourth Sergeant in Com- pany E, Twelfth Maine Volunteer Infantry, being mustered into service at Camp Berry, Portland. The following January the regi- ment was sent South, going by steamer to New Orleans. With his company Mr. Knight subsequently took an active part in many engagements, the most notable among them being the ones at Pass Manchac, La., Irish Bend, and Port Hudson, he being in the midst of battle much of the time from May 27 until July 8, 1863. On July 1, 1864, his regiment was transferred to Virginia by steamer, landing at City Point on the James River, whence they were sent to Washington, D.C., and from there to Georgetown, whence they proceeded to the Shenandoah Valley, lo- cating their camp at Berryville in August. In the battles of Winchester and Fisher's Hill Mr. Knight did brave service, working with his regiment in the valley until October, when they were sent to Cedar Creek, where there were two encounters with the enemy. The regiment was then sent to Camp Russell, where the men, their three ycars' term of cn- listment having expired, were sent home, re- ceiving their discharge in Portland, Me., De- cember 7, 1864.

On his return to Bridgton Mr. Knight was engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1872, when, leaving the homestead, he purchased a

farm near by, and continued in his chosen oc- cupation for sixteen years. In 1889 he bought the store which he has since success- fully conducted, carrying an ample stock of all articles to' be found in a first-class hard- ware establishment. In politics he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Republican party, and, socially, is a member of the Grand Army of the Republic and of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows.

On October 31, 1865, Mr. Knight was united in wedlock with Miss Maria Dearborn, who has borne him two children; namely, Fred C. and Nettie E.

ILLIAM L. LARRABEE, owning and occupying a small and finely improved farm at South Portland, is a native of Cumberland County, Maine, his birth having occurred at Westbrook, Janu- ary 25, 1826. His grandfather, Benjamin Larrabee, Sr., and his father, Benjamin Larra- bee, Jr., were both natives of Portland, his father having been born in that city in 1768.

Benjamin Larrabee, Jr., was reared to agri- culture, and, when a young man, removed to Westbrook, where he bought some three hun- dred acres of land. Hc continued general farming, in connection with which he carried on an extensive lumbering business. He was twice married. His first wife, Jane Cobbey, borc him eight children, of whom but one is living, Mrs. Emma Freeman, widow of Dr. S. S. Freeman, who left her three children - Mary, George, and Charles. In 1824 our subject's father was united in marriage with Sarah, daughter of William Lamb; and of the four children born of his second union three survive : William L. ; David; and Hannah, widow of Rufus Fluent, Jr.

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County, Maine, Part 15

Author: Publication date: 1896 Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Publishing Company Number of Pages: 722

Author:
Publication date: 1896
Publisher: Boston : Biographical Review Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 722