Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County, Maine, Part 94

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

USA > Maine > Cumberland County > Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County, Maine > Part 94

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Since his father's death he has managed the estate successfully, his sister presiding over the household. Mr. Stiles, like his father, votes the Democratic ticket. He is highly esteemed in Bridgton, the home of his family for so many years.

ILLIAM WARD, whose productive farm is situated in the town of Harrison, was born in Gorham, Me., January 10, 1821, son of Daniel and Eunice (Spencer) Ward. Mr. Ward's father was a native of Gorham, where he resided until 1831, when he moved to a farm in Baldwin, Me., and followed agricultural pursuits with good results for the rest of his active period. He died in Baldwin at the age of eighty-two years. He was a capable farmer and a worthy citizen. His wife, Eunice Spencer, who was a native of Limington, Me., became the mother of five children, as follows: William, the subject of this sketch; Charles, Simon, and Francis, who are no longer living; and Cyrus, who is now residing in Cumberland Mills. Cyrus Ward married for his first wife Johanna Whitney; and after her death he mar- ried Susan Walker, his present wife. Mrs. Eunice S. Ward lived to reach the age of sixty-three years.

William Ward received his education in the common schools, and resided at home until after his marriage. . He then engaged in farm- ing upon his own account, and during his busy life has owned and cultivated farms in Bridgton, Otisfield, North Norway, and Minot, with prosperous results. Previous to settling upon his present farm, he resided in Otisfield for eight years. In June, 1893, he moved to Harrison, where he bought the property of one hundred acres which he now owns. He is devoting his energies principally to the rais- ing of hay and corn. He also raises some stock, and, keeping a dairy, sells cream.

On February 3, 1857, Mr. Ward was mar- ried to Annie Wheeler. She was born in Al- bany, September 27, 1835, daughter of Ben- jamin and Betsey (Seavey) Wheeler, the for- mer of whom was a native of Bethel, Me., and a prosperous farmer; and the latter was a na- tive of Portsmouth, N. H. They are no longer

living. Mr. and Mrs. Ward have had five chil- dren, as follows: Lizzie, who married R. D. Gould, and resides in Otisfield; Frank B., who resides at home; Fanny H., his twin sis- ter, who married Ernest Merrill, and lives in Oxford County; Annie V., who became the wife of Charles Blake, and died at the age of twenty-one; and Jennie A., deceased, who was the wife of John Cleveland. Both these daughters were high-minded and sincere Chris- tian ladies, who were very active in church work.

Mr. Ward is a Democrat in politics, and has always been an active supporter of that party. He is one of Harrison's hard-working and successful farmers, and possesses the es- teem and good will of his fellow-townsmen. His son, Frank B. Ward, is a bright and ac- tive young man and a member of the Masonic Order and the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows. Mrs. Ward is an earnest member of the Free Will Baptist church, and is deeply inter- ested in the work of the church.

OWARD E. DYER, senior member of the firm of Dyer & Jose at South Portland, Me., was born on April 2, 1853, at Cape Elizabeth, on the old homestead and in the house which has been owned by the Dyer family for four genera- tions. His grandfather, Mark Dyer, was a seafaring man. He spent his last days in Cape Elizabeth, the place of his nativity, dying on the home farm at a good old age. He married Mercy Dyer, who, though bearing the same surname, was probably not of the same race.

Their son, Greeley H. Dyer, was born De- cember 31, 1816, on the homestead which he and his wife, whose maiden name was Mary W. Quinby, still occupy. She was born in Saccarappa, being a daughter of Charles Quinby. She has borne her husband twelve children, six of whom are living, namely : Mary, born October 12, 1844, residing on the Cape, being the wife of H. A. Vaillancourt, a native of Quebec; Almeda S., born January 21, 1846, who married George G. Sawyer, and has one child; Charles G., born October 12, 1847, who married Fanny, daughter of Luther

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Rice, of Portland, and has three children; Howard E., the special subject of this sketch; Adaline F., born March 27, 1855; and Lou- ville H., born April 10, 1865, both residing at South Portland. The latter married Hattie Burpee, of Manchester, N.H. ; and they are the parents of three children.

Howard E. Dyer obtained a practical knowl- edge of the studies taught in the public schools in the days of his youth, in the mean time being well drilled in the science of agri- culture on the home farm, where he resided until 1885. The succeeding five years Mr. Dyer was engaged in buying and selling horses, meeting with good success as a trader. In 1892 he formed a copartnership with C. F. Jose, and under the present firm name started a grocery business in this town, their trade in this line of goods being extensive and lucra- tive. Mr. Dyer is not a professional poli- tician; but he is an earnest advocate of the principles promulgated by the Democratic party, and has served his fellow-townsmen as a member of the School Board for two years. He was the first Postmaster appointed by Pres- ident Cleveland in the State of Maine, and at the present time has charge of the office at South Portland. Mr. Dyer and Ella L., daughter of Nathaniel Adams, of Charlotte, N. B., were married on April 6, 1877. Their two children were both born at Cape Eliza- beth, namely: Ernest HI., on March 28, 1878; and Isabelle E., on August 24, 1880. Mr. and Mrs. Dyer are liberal in their views on religious subjects. They are not connected by membership with any church. Mr. Dyer is an Odd Fellow, being a member of Unity Lodge, No. 3, of Portland.

J AMES FRANK ROWELL, D. D.S., who since 1893 has been successfully engaged in the practice of his profes- sion in Gorham, Me., was born in the town of Weld, Franklin County, Me., on De- cember 21, 1852, son of Nathan P. and Mary S. (Kittredge) Rowell.

The first representatives of the Rowell fam- ily in this country were two brothers, who came from England in 1785, and settled near Weymouth, Mass., one of whom was the great-

grandfather of Dr. Rowell. He was a stone cutter by trade, and continued to follow that occupation after he came to this country. His son James was born near Weymouth. In his early manhood he removed to Bow, N. H., when he afterward came to Franklin County, Maine, where he spent the remainder of his life on a farm. By trade he was a carpenter, and he did some work in that line when his farm duties would permit. He was the father of six children - Nathan P., Sylvanus, Betsy, Fannie, Joseph, and James.

Nathan P. Rowell, who was born in Bow, N. H., was for many years, in company with his brother Sylvanus, engaged in the manu- facture of organs and pianos, under the firm name of Rowell Brothers, every part of the instruments being made by hand. Their fac- tory was on Forewater Street, Augusta, Me. ; and they were the first to engage in that line of business in the State of Maine. When they dissolved partnership Nathan P. Rowell settled in Weld, Me., where he spent his last years, living to be fifty-eight years old. He was a member of the Blue Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Weld, and a communicant of the Free Baptist church for many years, and at one time a leader of the choir. His wife,. Mary S. Kittredge, was a daughter of the Rev. James Kittredge, the Baptist minister of Weld. Two sons were born of their union - James Frank; and Charles F., who has a dental office at Wilton, Me.

James F. Rowell, after attending the com- mon schools of Weld, became a pupil of Wil- ton Academy, and later of Maine Wesleyan Seminary at Kent's Hill, and Portland Medi- cal School. While pursuing his studies, dur- ing his vacations for eight years he engaged in teaching, mostly in the high and district schools of Franklin County. He gave up - teaching to study under Dr. Stanley, of King- field, Me., with whom he remained about a year, then becoming a student in the office of Dr. Thomas Fillebrown, of Portland; and it was during this time that he attended the Port- land Medical School. In 1881 Dr. Rowell settled for practice in Gray, Me. Ten years later he removed to New York City, and opened an office at the corner of Thirty-first Street and Sixth Avenue; but, after remaining

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there for two years, he returned to Maine and settled in Gorham, where he has acquired a good practice, and is well liked by his patrons. He has established two other dental offices, one at Standish and another at Buxton, Me. In addition to his professional labors Dr. Rowell has done considerable taxidermic work, in which he is quite an expert.

On March 4, 1877, he was joined in mar- riage with Miss Abbie J. Kennedy, a daughter of the Hon. Thomas Kennedy, of Strong, Me. One child was born of their union, but after a brief earth journey the little spirit took its flight.

Politically, Dr. Rowell has always been a stanch Republican. He is a member of Siloam Lodge, No. 45, A. F. & A. M., of Gray, Me.

@ REDERICK AUGUSTUS MOTLEY, well known as a fruit and produce dealer and a manufacturer of novelties and electrical supplies, has been a resident of Portland, Me., since 1852. His birth occurred in Gardiner, Kennebec County, on April 29, 1847. His parents, Nathaniel and Rachel (Horton) Motley, were descendants of old and highly respected Portland families. It was a paternal ancestor who conducted the old Motley tavern that formerly occupied the site of the Motley Block on Congress Street above Brown, which was without doubt the first public house established in the city.

Rufus Horton, the maternal grandfather of the subject of this sketch, was born in the town of Milton, Mass., on May 23, 1759. Though but sixteen years of age at the opening of the Revolutionary War, he enlisted at the time of the Lexington alarm, April 17, 1775; and he afterward served in ten different com- mands, taking part in the siege of Boston and the battles of Rhode Island. He was promoted to the rank of Sergeant Major during his ser- vice, from which he retired on December 3, 1781, on account of a wound received in his wrist. As early as 1792 he was engaged in trade in Portland, where he subsequently formed a partnership with his brother John, under the firm name of John & Rufus Horton, and continued in business for several years.

In 1802 he erected the two brick stores on the north corner of Congress and Green Streets. The building was one of the first brick blocks built in Portland, and is still owned by the grandchildren. Mr. Horton was a French claimant, having had property captured by the French, among which was the schooner "Hunter," bound from Portland to Martinico.

His marriage with Miss Abigail Lord, a sister of William Lord, who served as City Treasurer from 1832 to 1841, and 1843 to 1849, took place in Ipswich, Mass., on Octo- ber 14, 1792. She was born there, May 26, 1772, and died in Portland, September 23, 1871, at the advanced age of ninety-nine years and four months. The children of Mr. and Mrs. Horton were: Nabby, who married Dummer Bean, and died in 1884, at the age of ninety-nine years and four months; Rufus, Jr., a well-known merchant of Portland, Di- rector of the Manufacturers' and Traders' Bank for thirty years, and for fifteen years its Presi- dent, who married Sarah Winslow; Hannah, the wife of Moses Little, of Windham, Me. ; Lydia, who married Joshua Dunn, the Post- master from 1849 to 1853 ; Rachel, born in Feb- ruary, 1804, who became the wife of Nathaniel Motley; and Mary and Isabella, who never married. The living grandchildren are as fol- lows : Rufus D. and Ann Maria Bean, of Port- land ; Moses H. Little, of Windham; Mrs. W. H. Motley, George and W. H. Motley, of Deering; and Frederick A. Motley, of Portland. Rufus Horton was an esteemed citizen and a prominent member of the Quaker Society, familiarly known as Quaker Horton. He died at his home on Green Street, Portland, on September 6, 1840, aged eighty-one years.

Mr. and Mrs. Nathaniel Motley were the parents of twelve children, all of whom at- tained years of discretion. The three now living are: George H. Motley, of Deering, Me. ; William H. Motley, a resident of the same place; and Frederick A. Motley. Mrs. Motley's death occurred in 1893, at the ad- vanced age of ninety years, in the old Horton home at the corner of Green and Congress Streets, which was her birthplace. She was an honored member of the Society of Friends. Frederick Augustus Motley, who was but a

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year old at his father's death, acquired a good practical education in the public schools of Portland. The Civil War was then in prog- ress ; and at the early age of fifteen years he enlisted in Company A of the Twenty-fifth Maine Volunteer Infantry, with which he was sent to the defence of Washington, where he remained during the term of his enlistment, nine months. Re-enlisting for three years, or until the close of the war, he entered Com- pany I of the Thirtieth Maine Volunteer In- fantry, which was ordered to the Department of the Gulf; and he was an active participant in General Banks's Red River campaign. Later his regiment was sent to the Shenandoah Valley, where they were under the command of General Sheridan; and during Sheridan's raid, at the time of General Lee's surrender, it was stationed as a guard to the wagon trains. His regiment was afterward ordered to Savan- nah; and he received his discharge there in August, 1865, as Sergeant, to which rank he was promoted on April 17, 1864. Though he had spent over three years in the service, he was then but eighteen years old, being one of the youngest to carry arms. He had four brothers in the army, and during his last term of service William H. Motley was a member of the same regiment.

After his return to Portland Mr. Motley obtained a situation as clerk in a wholesale grocery store; and later he engaged in the wholesale fruit and produce business on Com- mercial Street, which he successfully con- ducted for twelve years. He then sold out in order to accompany his wife to Florida, whither it was deemed advisable that they should go for a time on account of her health. Since April, 1895, he has engaged in the manufacture of novelties and electrical sup- plies, and at the present time he is Treasurer of the Jordan Manufacturing Company. Ilis office is in the Canal Bank Building, and the factory is also located in the city of Portland. In September, 1878, Mr. Motley was joined in marriage with Miss Clara Flagg, of Tops- ham, Me. They are the parents of one child, Helen M. Motley.

Mr. Motley is a stanch adherent of the Re- publican party, but has never served in official position. He is a prominent member of Bos-

worth Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of which he is Past Commander, and by virtue of holding that position is a member of the State Encampment. He has also served on the National Council of Administration and at- tended various National Encampments. Mrs. Motley is a communicant of the Baptist church. They have a pleasant home at 120 Emery Street, which has been their residence since their marriage.

AJOR JOHN D. ANDERSON, ex-United States Pension Agent, ex - Treasurer Eastern Branch N. H. D. V. S., ex-Representa- tive and Past Department Commander, Maine Grand Army of the Republic, was born in Gray, Me., on November 7, 1836, eldest son of Dr. Abraham W. and Annah T. (Water- man) Anderson. Abraham Anderson, his earliest known ancestor, emigrated from Scot- land and settled in Marblehead, Mass., mov- ing subsequently to Windham, Me., of which town he was one of the original proprietors. His son Abraham, a farmer and lumberman, was born there. He married Miss Lucy Smith, a daughter of Parson Smith, the first minister of Portland, Me. They had six chil- dren -- Peter, Edward, John, Abraham W., Betsy, and Nancy. The father died in 1846 on the old Anderson homestead at South Windham.

Dr. Abraham W. Anderson, the youngest son of Abraham, was born in Windham in February, 1805, where he grew to manhood. He attended Gorham Academy, and in 1829 was graduated from Bowdoin Medical School. The next year he became a practising physi- cian in Gray, where he remained until his death on March 24, 1876. He was universally liked, and had a very large practice. His wife, Annah T., was a native of New Glouces- ter, Me., and a daughter of Captain John and Mary (Harris) Waterman. Dr. and Mrs. Anderson were the parents of eight children, namely : Ann J. married C. G. Hanscome, who was killed by Indians in Dakota in 1862. She now resides in La Crosse, Wis. Mary W. became the wife of Judge M. G. Han- scome, who outlived her, he being at present

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a resident of St. Peter, Minn. Jane T. mar- ried Charles Hoppin, of New York, who is now deceased. John D. is the subject of this sketch. Hannah L. became Mrs. Charles B. White, and lives in Massachusetts. Dr. Wen- dall A. Anderson, United States Consul-gen- eral at Montreal, married Miss Susan G. Small, a native of Gray, Me. He was educated in the New York College of Physicians and Sur- geons, being graduated in the class of 1863. From 1861 to 1862 he was a medical cadet, and during the war he served as Regimental, Brigade, and Division Surgeon. In 1865 he was mustered out of service with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, and in the following year went to La Crosse, where he practised medi- cine for several years. He is now retired from the profession. Joseph W. died in in- fancy, and Lucy W. also died in very early life. Mrs. Annah T. Anderson, the mother, died May 24, 1880.

John D. Anderson fitted for college at Gor- ham Academy and Yarmouth Institute, and was graduated from the latter in the class of 1852. He then entered Bowdoin College, where he remained three years. From 1855 until 1858 he taught school, after which he returned to Bowdoin College, and was gradu- ated in 1859. In the spring of 1860 he went to Macon, Ga., where he remained several months, going from thence to La Crosse, Wis. There he was engaged as teacher, and also read law in the office of Cameron & Bishop.

On August 21, 1861, he enlisted as a pri- vate in the First Wisconsin Battery, was made First Sergeant, and promoted to First Lieu- tenant. He was in camp at Racine, Wis., and at Louisville, Ky., and was attached to the Seventh Division of the Army of the Ohio, organized for the reduction of Cumberland Gap, Ky., then occupied by the Confederates. He participated in the whole of that campaign, and was with the troops in the celebrated re- treat from the Gap to the Ohio River, a dis- tance of one hundred and eighty miles. He resigned in October, 1862, and re-enlisted in the Thirty-second Maine Infantry, which par- ticipated in the bloody campaign of General Grant in 1864-65, and was severely wounded at Burnside's mine explosion, losing the use of his left hand and arm. The Thirty-first

and Thirty-second, decimated by losses, were consolidated. Major Anderson was mustered out as a supernumerary, and immediately joined the Third Maryland Infantry as First Lieutenant. He served as Aide-de-camp on the staff of General N. B. Mclaughlin till August 20, 1865, when he was finally mus- tered out at Baltimore, Md. His record as a soldier is enviable, he having been compli- mented in general orders by General George W. Morgan for his "coolness and intrepid- ity" in rescuing two of his guns when sur- rounded by the enemy at Tazewell, Tenn., and having lost an eye and arm in the service of his country.

After receiving his discharge in August, 1865, he returned to Gray, where he engaged in the insurance business, and practised law until 1873, when he went to Portland, Me., being in the law office with Bion Bradbury & Son until 1880. Mr. Anderson then returned to Gray, and remained six years in the active and lucrative practice of his profession. In 1886 he was appointed United States Pension Agent for the district of Maine, which position he held until October 1, 1889. In April, 1889, he was elected Treasurer of the Eastern Branch of the Soldiers' Home at Togus, Me. He resigned in October, 1894, and returned to Gray, where he has since remained.

Mr. Anderson is a Democrat in politics, and he has acceptably filled many offices. He was Representative from this district in 1875. He is a member of Cumberland Lodge, No. 12, of New Gloucester ; of Greenleaf Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Portland; and Haw- thorn Lodge, Knights of Pythias, of Raymond. In the Grand Army of the Republic he is a devoted and enthusiastic worker. A charter member of George F. Sheplay Post, No. 78, of Gray, Mr. Anderson was elected Depart- ment Commander of Maine in 1890, being the only Democrat ever holding that position.

In March, 1869, Major Anderson was united in marriage to Miss Anna S. Thayer, a native of Gray and daughter of Warren and Mary (Goff) Thayer. Major Anderson and wife are the parents of seven children, as fol- lows: Marcia W. married J. H. Pinkham, a dry-goods merchant of Dover, Me., where they now reside; John W., who resides at home,

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was graduated from Bowdoin College in the class of 1894; Annie T. married Ralph Lewis, an engineer of Greenwood; Bion B. is in the dry-goods business in Dover, Me. ; Abraham W. and Bessie W. are attending Pennell In- stitute in Gray; and Effie M. died in infancy. Mrs. Anderson died on September 12, 1893, beloved and respected by all who knew her.

Major Anderson's inherited Scotch grit and his own power of adaptation have enabled him to act a worthy part in the battle of life. He is widely known and equally respected and liked.

RANK E. WEBB, of Westbrook, Me., one of the leading lumber manufact- urers of Cumberland County, was born in Westbrook, August 16, 1862, son of James M. and Charlotte (Hodsdon) Webb.

James M. Webb was a son of Christopher Webb, of St. Albans, Me., where he grew to manhood, receiving a good common-school education. He learned the trade of carriage- making in Fall River, Mass., and went to Westbrook in the fifties to work for John M. Adams, carriage manufacturer, with whom he remained till the early part of 1862. At that time he enlisted in the Seventeenth Regiment of Maine Volunteer Infantry, under Colonel Charles Roberts. After a short stay in camp at South Portland the regiment went to Wash- ington, and, being immediately assigned to active duty, participated in some of the most important battles of the Civil War, including the second battle of Fredericksburg, Chancel- lorsville, Gettysburg, the Wilderness, Spott- sylvania Court-house, and Petersburg. In the skirmish at Sailor's Creek, April 6, 1865, the last battle in which his regiment took part, Mr. Webb received a severe wound in the leg, which made amputation necessary. It is curi- ous to note that, had Lee's surrender taken place three days earlier than it did, he might have returned home unscathed, as he had passed unhurt even through the holocaust of Spottsylvania, where the dead and wounded lay three and four deep.

James M. Webb was a strong Republican from the time of his majority, and soon after his return from the war was appointed Post-

master at Westbrook. About the same time he was elected Town Clerk and Treasurer ; and he efficiently performed the duties of his offices till 1880, when he was made Treasurer of Cumberland County. This office he held up to the time of his death in January, 1892. He was then fifty-seven years of age. He was a member of Temple Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Westbrook ; and in religious belief he was a Methodist. His wife, Charlotte Hodsdon, of Windham, Me., was the mother of three chil- dren, only one of whom - the subject of this sketch - is now living. After the death of his first wife Mr. James M. Webb married her sister, Emma Hodsdon. She also bore three children, two of whom are living, namely : William W., who is studying law with Judge Tolman, of Westbrook; and Isa M., who re- sides with her mother in that city.

Frank E. Webb received his education in the public schools of Westbrook, including the high school. He acted as clerk in the West- brook post-office under his father's direction for six years, and started on an independent business career when about twenty-two years of age. Of a restless and ambitious tempera- ment, he tried several kinds of business before finding the one to which he was best adapted. In 1885 he engaged in the grocery trade in Portland, Me., as a member of the firm of S. M. Kelsey & Co., remaining three years. In 1890 he went West, becoming a member of the Montana Cement Pipe and Tile Company, of Helena and Great Falls, Mont. ; but within five months he severed his connection with this corporation, and became connected with the Boston and Montana Mining Company, with which he remained six months. He then re- turned to Westbrook, and for three years was in the employ of John Wheeler & Sons, dealers in coal, wood, and lumber. In 1894 he formed a copartnership with E. H. Phillips, of Fairfield, Me., son of the senior member of the firm of G. A. & C. M. Phillips, who own extensive timber lands and saw-mills in the north-western part of the State. Under the style of Phillips & Webb the two young men bought the lumber business of the Wheeler Brothers of Westbrook, which they are now managing. They own extensive timber lands and large mills, and have an immense annual

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Biographical review : this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Cumberland County, Maine, Part 94

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