USA > Maine > Oxford County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 3
USA > Maine > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 3
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Mr. Abbott's first wife, Josephine Wayman, daughter of Thomas Wayman, of Peru, Me., died at the age of twenty-one, leaving one child - Alva E., who died when he was four- teen years old. His second wife, Edith, daughter of Robert Townsend, of Oxford, died at the age of nineteen; and he subsequently married Mrs. Lottie Decker Butterfield, his present wife, then the widow of the late' Luther V. Butterfield, who was a son of John Butterfield. Her first husband died April 21, 1879, aged twenty-nine years, leaving one daughter - Florentine J. Butterfield, who was born September 28, 1876. Mrs. Abbott is a daughter of Joshua and Rachel (Bishop) Decker and grand-daughter of Joshua and Fanny (Piper) Decker, of La Grange, Penob- scot County, Me. The grandfather was a prosperous farmer and large land owner of that town, and both he and his wife lived to reach a good old age. Joshua Decker, the younger, Mrs. Abbott's father, who was born in La Grange, served as a private in Company F, Eighth Regiment, Maine Volunteers, for three years during the war of the Rebellion. He died at the age of fifty-two. His wife, who survives hini and is now seventy-seven years old, has been the mother of nine chil- dren, three of whom died young. The living are: Horace; Elbridge; Loren; Al- freda; Lewellyn; and Lottie, who is now Mrs. Abbott. Mr. and Mrs. Abbott have an adopted daughter, Gertrude May, who was born March 30, 1894.
In politics Mr. Abbott is an active supporter of the Republican party, and during his resi- dence in Oxford County he served as a member
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of the Board of Selectmen of the town in which he lived. He is prominently connected with Franklin Lodge, No. 58, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, in which he has filled most of the important chairs. Mr. Abbott and his wife attend public worship at the Baptist church.
AMUEL B. WATERMAN, a worthy and representative citizen of Oxford, Oxford County, Me., was born in Turner, Androscoggin County, on April 1, 1826, the son of Guy B. and Esther (Brown) Waterman. His father was a native of the town of Greene, not far from Turner; and his mother was born in Oxford.
Guy B. Waterman spent the most of his active life in Turner and Oxford as a hard- working farmer, but his last few years were passed in the town of Durham. At one time he owned land that he cultivated in the town of Turner, and later on he leased land. He married Esther Brown, and five children were born to them, namely: Esther E., now the wife of Mr. Freeman Greenough, and living with her husband in the city of Portland, Me. ; Samuel B., of whose life further particulars are to follow; and Ruth, Lucinda, and Lizzie, all deceased. Mr. Guy B. Waterman was a Uni- versalist in religious belief and first a Whig and then a Republican in politics. He died at the age of seventy-five years.
Samuel B. Waterman grew to maturity in the town of Oxford, where he received his edu- cation in the public schools. Starting in life for himself, he first engaged in farm work, but soon left that occupation to become a travel- ling salesman. He continued on the road for fifteen years, part of the time being engaged in selling powder for Hubbard & Marble. In 1854, moved by the desire to settle down, establish a home, and enjoy its comforts, he bought the farm where he now resides. Here he has lived ever since, leading the quiet life of a farmer.
He was married in 1853 to Miss Sarah A. Millett, the daughter of Edmund C. and Sally (Greenlief) Millett. Mrs. Waterman was born on July 29, 1834. Her father was a
leading farmer of Minot, Androscoggin County, where he was one of the most promi- nent citizens. He lived there all his life, and died there at the ripe old age of eighty- eight years, his wife being five years younger at her death. They were both members of the Baptist church. Mr. Millett was a stanch Republican in politics. He and his wife were the parents of eight children, of whom seven are now living, namely: William G., a farmer of Minot; Sarah A., Mrs. Waterman ; Mrs. Harriett E. Spurr; Mrs. Almeda F. Burroughs; Mrs. Emma F. Varney; Miss Ella J. Millett; and Mrs. Mary E. Carr. The one that died was a girl, Frances Ellen.
Mr. and Mrs. Waterman have two sons - Charles E. and Fred S. Their only daughter died in infancy. Charles E. Waterman was born in Oxford, March 2, 1859. He is a newspaper man, and is one of the owners of the Mechanic Falls Ledger. He married Miss Clara E. Garland. Fred S. Waterman, who was born in Oxford, September 13, 1864, is unmarried, and lives at home with his father and mother, and helps with the farm duties.
Mr. Waterman has made many improve- ments on his place during the forty years and more of his occupancy. He has now a fine farm of one hundred acres, the homestead be- sides outlying land, with convenient buildings, all in good repair, and the whole presenting a thriftful appearance indicative of careful industry and sagacious management. Mr. Waterman and his wife are energetic and stir- ring people, and all they possess and enjoy they have their own hands and brains to thank for. They are as well liked as they are well known. They are liberal in religious views, and attend the Universalist church. In poli- tics Mr. Waterman is a strong Republican. He has been a Selectman of the town for two years, and has also held several minor offices, proofs of the confidence and friendship of his fellow-townsmen.
Wilton,
HARLES M. MILLER, a well to-do farmer of Wilton, Franklin County, Me., and a representative of an old family of this town, was born in October 6, 1850, son of David and
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Abigail (Johnson) Miller. His grandparents were David and Betsey (Pierce) Miller, who came from Fall River, Mass., to Wilton, and settled on the John Miller place. An account of the family, which is of carly Colonial ori- gin, will be found in a sketch of Gilbert Miller.
David Miller, the younger, son of the pio- neer, was born in Wilton on July 10, 1815. As a means of carning a livelihood and sup- porting his family, he devoted his energies, and with success, to general farming. When somewhat past middle age, he bought the David Macumber farm, where he resided for thirty-one years. He died May 10, 1893. Besides attending to his farm work, he was prominent in public affairs, serving as a mem- ber of the Board of Selectmen and as Tax Col- lector for several terms, also as a County Com- missioner; and in politics he acted with the Republican party. His first wife, Abigail Johnson, who was a daughter of Charles John- son, of Harpswell, became the mother of seven children, namely: Hattie; Charles M., the subject of this sketch; William H. J. ; Jennie F: ; Isaac; Frederick M. ; and Mary L. Mrs. Abigail Miller died at the age of thirty-six years. David Miller married for his second wife Sybil Talbot.
Charles M. Miller began his education in the public schools, and finished his course of study at the Wilton Academy. At the age of twenty he started in life for himself as a rail- road brakeman in Massachusetts; and a year later he entered the service of the old Metro- politan Street Railway Company of Boston as a conductor, remaining in their employ for three years. Returning to Wilton, he was for the next seven years engaged in farming with his father ; and he then bought the property of one hundred acres known as the Colonel Har- pus farm, which he now owns. He has greatly increased the productiveness of the land, which is now capable of yielding large and ex- cellent crops, and during the present year he has erected a new stable and carriage house. He keeps a herd of twelve Jersey cows for dairy purposes, and aside from carrying on this farm he has since the death of his father taken entire charge of the homestead property.
On April 13, 1874, Mr. Miller married
Lucinda Rich, daughter of Josiah and Lucy (Baker) Rich, of Wellfleet, Mass. Mr. Rich followed the sea until his retirement, and he died at the age of fifty-nine years. His wife, who lived to be sixty-nine, was the mother of five children, namely : Theodore ; Zerua ; Sarah J. ; Lucinda, who is now Mrs. Miller ; and Etta. Mr. and Mrs. Miller have two children: Leita J., who was born March 10, 1878; and Alice M., who was born April 8, 1881, both
now attending the Wilton Academy.
In politics Mr. Miller is a Republican. He is connected with Williamson Lodge, In- dependent Order of Odd Fellows, and with the Foresters; and in his religious views he is liberál.
LONZO FELT, a well-known resident of Bryant's Pond, in the town of Woodstock, Oxford County, Me., is, a native of this place, born Septen) - ber II, 1833, a son of Jeremiah and Eliza (Perkins) Felt. His father came here in the year 1816, and took hold of the farm on which his son now resides, and which then consisted of about one hundred acres. He lived here for the remainder of his life, dying April 30, 1879, at the age of eighty-two years. His wife died in 1875, at the age of seventy-seven. They had ten children, of whom five still survive, namely: Lucy M., wife of Judge H. C. Davis, of Norway, Me .; Mehitabel, the widow of John Hathaway, of Woodstock ; Mary P., who is the wife of Consider Farrar, of Woodstock; Sibyl J., who married S. L. Russ, who was a Selectman of the town of Woodstock for a period of fifteen years; and Alonzo.
Alonzo Felt has spent his life up to the present time on the old homestead which was also the scene of his birth. He received his education in the public schools of Woodstock. Subsequently devoting his attention to agri- culture, he has worked hard and prospered accordingly. He has increased the size of his farm to three hundred and fifty acres, more than three times its original extent. He has also made many improvements, adding new buildings and practically rebuilding the old
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ones. It is one of the most beautiful pieces of property in this section, being finely situ- ated on a hill.
Mr. Felt was married December 14, 1864, to Emily J. Bryant, a daughter of Dustin Bryant, of Greenwood. He has two children - Archie D., born June 8, 1876, is now a student at Hebron Academy, having previ- ously passed through the common schools and high school; Lena May, born September 6, 1872, educated in Norway, Me., resides at home and follows the occupation of a teacher in the schools of her native town. Mr. Felt is a stanch Republican politically, and relig- iously is a member of the Society of Friends. He belongs to West Paris Lodge, No. 15, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, and of Franklin Grange, No. 124, of Bryant's Pond.
ENRY W. COY, one of the most prominent farmers and business men of Oxford, Oxford County, Me., was born in the neighboring town of Minot, Cumberland County, on March 22, 1838, son of Nathan and Julia Ann (Buck) Coy.
Nathan Coy was born in Minot, April 14, 1793; and his wife was born in the town of Norway, Me., December 29, 181I. H learned the blacksmith's trade during an apprenticeship of seven years in Norway vil- lage; and he subsequently followed his trade in connection with farming, spending nearly all his active life in his native town. He was a hard-working man always, and made what he had by continuous toil. He died at · the age of fifty-six years, being drowned while trying to save a boy's life, thus nobly risking and, as it proved, sacrificing his own in the attempt. He held liberal views in religion, and in politics he was a Democrat. His wife, who was an earnest member of the Methodist Episcopal church, outlived him many years, attaining the age of eighty-four. They were the .parents of six children, four of whom are now alive, namely: Henry W., whose name stands at the beginning of this sketch; Oliver B., also a farmer of Oxford; Helen, unmar- ried, residing in the town of Oxford; and Nathan, a passenger conductor on the Grand
Trunk Railroad, who married Marion Ross, and makes his home in Gorham, N.H. The two other children were: Clementine, who died at the age of twenty years; and Hattie, who married Fred Cushman, and died at the age of thirty years.
Henry W. Coy, the first mentioned of the three sons, came to Oxford at an early age, and was here educated in the public schools, and has since devoted himself to agriculture. Starting with a small farm of sixty-five acres, he engaged in general husbandry and stock raising, also dealing in wood and lum- ber; and by dint of tireless industry and good business faculty he has accumulated a hand- some property, being the owner of two hun- dred and sixty-six acres of land with substan- tial and convenient buildings.
He was married in the year 1870, on the last day of October, to Eliza Wight, a native of Gilead, Me., and the daughter of Caleb and Fanny L. (Burbank) Wight. She was born on December 4, 1840. Her father and mother were natives of Gilead, Mr. Wight being a good and successful farmer, and was a Republican in politics. He died at the age
of eighty-four years. His wife died at the age of sixty-nine. Both belonged to the Methodist Episcopal church. They were the parents of nine children, all of whom are now living - Eliza, Mark, Diana, Eli, Vesta, Caleb, Mina, Thomas, and John.
Mr. and Mrs. Coy in the first fourteen years of their married life became the parents of five children, of whom three are now living, namely : Mildred W., who was born on Au- gust 31, 1871, and is now the wife of Daniel Barnes, of Andover, Me., a trader ; Howard O., who was born August 26, 1880; and Mary B., born May 10, 1884. Emily Coy, who was born on July 11, 1872, dicd in September of the same year; and Fanny, who was born August 27, 1876, died on March 11, 1879.
Mrs. Coy belongs to the Methodist Episco- pal church, and her husband is liberal in religion. In politics Mr. Coy is a Republi- can. He has served as a Selectman for three years, also as one of the School Committee for the same period of time, being still a mem- ber of the Board. He has been eminently successful in life, and is one of the best estab-
BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
lished men in a business way of the whole county. He is a great dairyman, as well as a general farmer, owning and running one of the largest dairies in the town.
SILAS E. KING, President of the S. E. King Company of Welch- ville, Oxford County, was born in Skowhegan, Somerset County, Me., March 14, 1847, son of John A. and Hannah (Bowley) King. His father, who was a mer- chant, died when forty-five years old, his wife surviving to the age of sixty-five. She was the mother of two children, of whom Silas E. only reached maturity.
Silas E. King grew to manhood in Cumber- land and Oxford Counties, Maine, and was educated in the common schools. In 1867 he started as a merchant upon a small scale, opening a store at Welchville; and the busi- ness has since expanded into its present large proportions. In 1896 the S. E. King Com- pany was organized and incorporated with Mr. King as its President; George L. Wilder, Vice-President ; and Roscoe F. Staples, Sec- retary and Treasurer. The company, which has among its stockholders several Portland and Auburn merchants, deals extensively in general merchandise, including dry and fancy goods, furniture, hardware, agricultural tools, groceries, meats, boots, shoes, rubbers, and, in fact, everything from a cradle to a casket. The concern has wide-awake men at its head, and its methods are thoroughly indicative of New England enterprise. Mr. King is highly respected both as a merchant and as a private citizen. He was married January 23, 1879, to Florence S. Holmes.
He is a Republican in politics, and from 1883 to 1889 was Postmaster here. He is connected with the Masonic Lodge at Me- chanic Falls, and is liberal in his religious views.
R" ALPH S. FREEMAN, a retired farmer spending the closing years of his long and busy life at his pleas- ant homestead in the town of Nor- way, Oxford County, was born December 17, 1
1817, in Minot, Me. He comes of substantial Massachusetts stock, his grandfather, Chandler Freeman, having been a native of Duxbury, Plymouth County, that State. He was a farmer by occupation, and, when a young man, came to Maine, locating in the town of Minot, where during the remainder of his life he was numbered among the prominent citizens. He was an active worker in religious circles, and for many years was Deacon of the Minot Congregational Church.
Samuel Freeman, son of Chandler and father of Ralph S., was a native of Minot, where he spent his early years. Later on he worked for a time in the eastern part of the State; but subsequently removed to Hebron, this county, where he was successfully engaged as a tiller of the soil until his death. His wife, Eliza- beth Bradford, also a native of Minot, bore him ten children, briefly mentioned as follows : Jonathan Bradford died at the age of twenty- one years; Samuel lived until seventy-nine years old; Tristram died in Portland, Mich., in April, 1895; Ralph S. is the direct subject of this sketch; John S. was accidentally drowned in Massachusetts; Mary B. married William Berce, of Auburn, Me., and neither
is now living; Elizabeth died in infancy ; Edward P. died in California; Chandler died in Colorado; and Joseph is now residing in Atkinson, N.H. These children, with the exception of Chandler, who was a college graduate, acquired their education in the dis- trict schools of their native State.
Ralph S. Freeman, whose personal history is now to be outlined, lived beneath the pa- rental roof-tree until attaining man's estate, when he started in life for himself, having in the next few years a varied experience and seeing much of our country. Going first to Massachusetts, he worked for two years in a boot and shoe factory in North Bridgewater, now known as Brockton, at bottoming boots. He next went South, he and his brother Tris- tram being hired by a business firm to sell a new kind of oil-cloth. After spending a week in Georgia, Mr. Freeman went to South Caro- lina, where he travelled six months, visiting nearly every district in that State. Then taking a team he drove across the country to the town of Portland, Mich., where he had a
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RALPH S. FREEMAN.
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BIOGRAPHICAL REVIEW
brother living, for whom he worked at carpen- tering the succeeding three years. Going thence to Ohio, Mr. Freeman located on the Miami River, near Dayton, and, building an elevator for storing corn for the distillery, stayed there four months. He then resumed his trade of a carpenter, working at it two months in Cleveland and then in Detroit, Mich., where he assisted in erecting several houses. Continuing to reside in Detroit for a while longer, he worked at steamboat building in the shipyard for a time, and was afterward employed in the vicinity of the Lakes, between Buffalo and Cleveland and in Canada above Montreal for several years.
Being there taken sick so that he could not work for one winter, Mr. Freeman returned to Maine; and for three years he had the man- agement of the parental farm in Hebron. During this period he was married, and for a time thereafter he was engaged in farming in that town. Subsequently purchasing a farm on Brighton Hill, he built a house and re- mained there a year. He then bought the well-known Glover farm in Hebron, about a mile from the academy, which he occupied about a year before selling it. Mr. Freeman then came to Norway, and in September of that year, 1853, bought the old Crockett farm, for- merly owned by his father-in-law. He has
since made this his home, carrying on general farming and working somewhat at his trade. In the mean time he has spent two years or more from home, having rented his farm one year while he worked at his trade on the He- bron chapel; and from November, 1861, until the following April he was in Cuba, where he worked in repairing railroad bridges. Be- sides his well-improved farm of one hundred and thirty-five acres, Mr. Freeman owns other land in Oxford County, making a goodly es- tate accumulated by his untiring industry. He is now enjoying the fruits of his many years of successful activity, having given up the management of his valuable farm to his son, Charles E.
Mr. Freeman was married December 31, 1849, to Miss Sarah Crockett, who was born on the present homestead, April 9, 1821, a daughter of the late Joshua and Judith (Pike) Crockett, lifelong residents of Norway. Mr.
and Mrs. Freeman have four children; namely, Harriet C., Sarah Alice, Charles E., and Henry H. Harriet C., born October 17, 1850, is the widow of Isaac Merrill, and now lives with her parents. Sarah A., born Janu- ary 18, 1854, is the wife of Clarence R. Mer- rill, who is engaged in the grain, lime, and cement business in Manchester, N. H. Charles E., born August 19, 1857, now having charge of the homestead, is a man of prominence in the town, and in 1892 served as Selectman. He was married November 13, 1886, to Miss Ada Merrill, daughter of George Merrill, a millwright in Norway. She died July 19, 1895, leaving three children- Lucy C., Ralph M., and Sarah Alice. Henry H. Free- man, born May 9, 1862, married Lena S. Buck, and is now living in Manchester, N. H., engaged in the same business that his brother- in-law is. Politically, Mr. Ralph S. Freeman is a stanch Republican in politics, as is his son, Charles E. Socially, he is one of the charter members of the Norway Grange; and, religiously, both he and his estimable wife are members of the Universalist Church of Norway.
ALTER E. HOLMES, one of the foremost residents of Oxford, Me., his native place, is a graduate of Bowdoin College and a teacher by profession, but now devotes himself chiefly to town affairs and official duties. He was born on July 31, 1846, son of Ebenezer R. and Louisa Abigail Fuller (Rawson) Holmes, and is a worthy representative of one of the oldest families of this vicinity.
His paternal grandfather, James Holmes, was born at Plymouth, Mass., on August 8, 1759. In early manhood seeking a new home in the deep woods of Maine, he became one of the first settlers of Oxford, buying up a tract of wild land, clearing it, and living thereon all the rest of his life. He left his mark in this section - that of an honest, strong, hard- working man and a true patriot, he having served as a brave young soldier in the Ameri- can Revolution. His wife, Jerusha Rawson, who was born in Sutton, Mass., on October 13. 1769, was the daughter of Ebenezer Rawson, a worthy farmer of that town. James and Je-
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rusha (Rawson) Holmes were the parents of nine children, eight sons and one daughter, of whom but one is now alive, the daughter. They were: James S .; Salmon; Cyrus; Job; Ebenezer R. and Eleazer A., who were twins; Jerusha; John S. ; and Freeland. Jerusha Holmes married a Mr. Rawson, and lives in Brooklyn, N. Y. James Holmes died in Ox- ford on April 13, 1827. Ilis wife died on June 12, 1848, in the same town, when nearly eighty years of age.
Ebenezer R. Holmes, the fifth son, as here recorded, was born at Oxford on January 9, in the year 1802. He grew to manhood on the old farm in the town of his birth. He had always intended to study the profession of the law; but, as his father and mother be- came less and less able to take the proper care of the farm, and his brothers and sister were away from home, he considered it his duty to remain there. So he ended by giving up his life to farming. By means of hard labor and sagacious management he was able to bring the old farm up to the standard of the best in the whole county. He took great interest in the breeding of fine cattle, in which pur- suit he was very successful, making a spe- cialty of Herefords. He was one of the first farmers in the State to deal in full-blooded cattle. His farm consisted of about three hundred acres, and was considered one of the best in the town.
In religious faith Mr. Ebenezer R. Holmes was a liberal. His political views were those of the Republican party, with which he was connected from the date of its formation. He held office as Selectman for a number of years, and was Chairman of the Board for a great part of that time. He was also the Town Agent, and he served as a Representa- tive to the State legislature in 1850. He always took an active part in any movement that was going on tending toward the improve- ment in any way of his town or toward the weal of his fellow-citizens.
He married Louisa Abigail Fuller Rawson, who was born in Paris, Me., on February 5, 1807. They became the parents of five chil- dren, of whom four are now living, namely : Louise S., born on February 19, 1838, and Lyman R., born July 14, 1840, both residing
at the old homestead in Oxford; Walter E., the date of whose birth is mentioned above, and a sketch of whose carcer begins with the next paragraph ; and Florence S., born Dc- cember 10, 1851, who married S. E. King, a merchant, and resides in Oxford village. George F., the second son, born November 5, 1844, graduated from Bowdoin College in 1866, and was a lawyer of Portland. JIe
died on March 6, 1892. Ebenezer R. Holmes died on February 19, 1890. Ilis wife sur- vives him, and lives at her home in Oxford, now at the advanced age of nearly ninety years.
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