USA > Maine > Oxford County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 62
USA > Maine > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 62
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The original farm bought by Alexander Day comprised about one hundred and fifty acres; but his son Elijah worked hard, and finally, by dint of immense expenditure of energy, and by careful calculation and indomitable will, brought it up to the large extent of four hundred and eighty acres of arable land, and three hundred acres more of valuable wild ter- ritory.
James M. Day spent his boyhood days on his father's farm, and received his education in the public schools of Woodstock. At the age of twenty-three years he started in life for
himself, carrying on a general shipping busi- ness from the almost limitless resources of the farm, dealing almost exclusively with the products of the great estate.
He was married on the Ist of March, 1874, to Etta A. Cole, a daughter of William H. Cole, a farmer and merchant of Woodstock. By this marriage he became the father of one child, Matoira E., who was born on the sixth anniversary of the marriage of her parents. March 1, 1881.
Both Elijah Day and his son James, who live together on the old homestead, are true Republicans in politics. The latter favors the Universalist church, and his father is a liberal man in religious matters, not being connected with any particular denomination.
James M. Day is a member of Jefferson Lodge, No. 100, A. F. & A. M., of Bryant's Pond; of Christopher Lake Commandery, Knights Templars; Golden Cross Society of Bryant's Pond; and Franklin Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, No. 55, of Bryant's Pond. He held the office of Deputy Sheriff of Oxford County from 1880 to 1884, and was the in- cumbent of the office of Tax Collector of the county from 1878 to 1882. All that he and his father own has been made by hard labor and continuous industry, and they may well be proud of the fact that their success is the result of self-help.
J OSHUA E. COLLINS, a well-known carriage manufacturer and general blacksmith of Knowlton's Corner. Farmington, was born February 13. 1857, in New Sharon, this county, son of Eben and Jennie (Sherman) Collins. His grandfather, Lemuel Collins, a native of Cape Cod, Mass., who in young manhood settled upon a tract of unimproved land in New Sharon, reclaimed a good farm, and resided there for the rest of his life. Lemuel was successful both as a farmer and a business man, and lived to an advanced age. He mar- ried Sally Greenleaf, who reared three chil- dren, and lived to a good old age.
Eben G. Collins, Mr. Collins's father, was a native of New Sharon. Upon reaching man- hood he took charge of the home farm, and
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cared for his parents during their declining years. Succeeding to the property, he contin- ued to reside there until 1861, when he sold it and bought a farm in Starks, Me. This after a short time he also disposed of, and re- moved to Industry, where he was engaged in farming for four years. From Industry he moved to the Craig farm, situated in the northern part of Farmington. Selling that property in turn, he bought the McKeen farm at Farmington Falls, where his last years were passed. He died in 1894, aged seventy- four. He was an able, industrious farmer, and a useful, upright citizen; and his chil- dren had from him the advantage of a com- fortable home and a good education. In poli- tics he was a Republican, while in religion he was a Methodist. His wife, Jennie, became the mother of six children, namely: Joshua E., the subject of this sketch; Hersey J., Joshua's twin brother; Carrie; Gardner J. ; Ellen D. ; and Anna E. Mr. Collins's mother is now sixty-nine years old.
Having acquired his education in the com- mon schools, Joshua E. Collins served an ap- prenticeship at the blacksmith's trade. After working as a journeyman for four years he bought the William Page property at Farm- ington Falls, and engaged in business for himself. At a later date he sold this prop- erty, and moved to Auburn, Me., where he followed his trade for a year. From there he went to Philadelphia, Pa., where he was em- ployed for four years. Returning then to Farmington, he carried on business for him- self for about three years. At the expiration of that time he bought the Knowlton property at Knowlton's Corner, comprising one hun- dred and sixty acres of land, with good build- ings, and excellent facilities for carrying on the general blacksmith business. After estab- lishing himself here as a general blacksmith he began the manufacture of light Concord wagons and sleighs, an enterprise which is proving very profitable. He is also engaged in general farming and dairying, and keeps a herd of fine Jersey cows. His orchard, which is one of the largest in this vicinity, has sev- eral choice varieties of grafted fruits, and brings him a good income.
On November 20, 1876, Mr. Collins wedded
Belle F. Knowlton, daughter of John and Romelia (Conner) Knowlton, late of this town. John Knowlton, Mrs. Collins's great- grandfather, was a general farmer and carriage- maker in this locality, which bears his name, and was widely known as a local preacher and an exemplary citizen. He married Sally Green; and his son John, Mrs. Collins's grandfather, was born at Knowlton's Corner, June 17, 1820. Besides following his father's trade he tilled the soil. He was a lifelong resident of Knowlton's Corner, and left be- hind him an honorable record as a worthy and useful citizen. Mr. and Mrs. Collins have had two children, namely: Donald K., who died in infancy; and Sarah May, who was born June 5, 1889. Mr. Collins is one of the leading spirits in the organization of Good Templars here, and he is connected with the Knights of Pythias Lodge, in which he has held all of the important chairs. In politics he supports the Republican party, and in re- ligion he is a Congregationalist.
YRUS SHAW TUCKER. - For nearly a century has the name of Tucker been prominently identified with the manufacturing interests of the town of Norway, Me .; and Cyrus S. Tucker is the third saddler and harness-maker of his family. He was born in Norway, Oc- tober II, 1841, the fourth son of Benjamin and Sarah (Millett) Tucker.
His grandfather, Benjamin Tucker, Sr., was born in Canton, Mass., September 20, 1776. He removed to Worcester, Mass., and from there to Norway, Me., walking hither from Portland in 1801. Having learned the saddler's trade, he engaged in the business of making saddles, which were much in use in those days, when most of the travelling was done on horseback; and after the country be- came more thickly settled, and good wagon roads were common, he filled many orders for harnesses. An expert and thorough workman, he soon established a large trade, and he was the only harness-maker in the town for many years. He owned many acres of land, and he built a number of houses, including one for himself, which is still standing, now owned
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by C. N. Tubbs. In 1832 Grandfather Tucker sold his business to Lewis Crockett, and re- tired. In politics he was successively a Whig and a Republican. He was Deacon of the Universalist church, the first church in the town, and contributed liberally toward its es- tablishment. The first meeting of the Nor- way Universalist Society recorded was held November 20, 1798, and the first meeting- house was built in 1801. Deacon Benjamin Tucker, Sr., died October 27, 1857. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Pike, passed away October 5, 1859. Their children were : Benjamin, John, Jane, Mary, Rosilla, Luther P., and nine others who died in early childhood.
Benjamin Tucker, son of Benjamin, Sr., and Mary (Pike) Tucker, was born in Nor- way, April 1, 1805. He learned to make saddles and harnesses in his father's shop, and after finishing his apprenticeship he was in business two years in Sebec, and two years in Buckfield. In 1832 he returned to Norway, and, purchasing his father's old stand from Mr. Crockett, he conducted a successful business there until 1866, when he retired, selling the business to his son, Cyrus Shaw, the subject of this sketch. The house which Benjamin Tucker occupied was destroyed in the great fire of 1851, and he immediately erected another building. He was one of the leading citizens of the town, a Whig and later a Re- publican, and represented Norway in the legis- lature in 1842. He, too, was a Deacon and a liberal supporter of the Universalist church. He died March 2, 1876. His wife, Sarah, who was a daughter of John and Martha (Sawyer) Millett, died in 1869, aged sixty-one years. She was the mother of nine children - Benjamin, third, born March 11, 1831; Sarah Melissa, born November 17, 1832; Charles Henry, September 12, 1834; Will- iam, March 25, 1836; Angelia, December 17, 1838; Cyrus Shaw, of whom more anon; Henry, born March 27, 1843; Albert Eugene, October 4, 1846; and Mary Alice, June 24, 1850.
Cyrus Shaw Tucker, having obtained his education in the public schools and the old Norway Liberal Institute, learned his trade, working with his father in Norway, and with
his brother in Skowhegan. Enlisting in July, 1862, in Company F, Seventeenth Maine Regiment, for the defence of the Union, he went to the seat of war and for some time was called to endure the hardships and brave the dangers of a soldier in the ranks. At length, becoming unable longer to march with his com- pany, he was detailed for special duty, being employed as a saddler at the brigade head- quarters till his discharge on June 10, 1865. Mr. Tucker's military service seriously under- mined his health, which he has never fully regained ; but by close application to business, while observing hygienic laws, he has been enabled to accomplish more than many who are physically sound, yet lacking in mental and moral stamina.
In 1866 he purchased the business which has now been under his able management for thirty years. His father's shop was in an ad- joining building on the second floor, the first floor being occupied by a shoe store. In 1867 Mr. Tucker built a small block on the 'site of his present place of business, which was also the site of a house erected by his grandfather. In this block the shop and sales- room were on the first floor, while the upper floor was occupied by Mr. Tucker as a dwell- ing. Here for twenty-seven years he con- ducted an increasingly successful business, meeting with no serious financial check until 1894, when the second great fire that visited Norway destroyed his building. The disaster, however, only seemed to give a fresh impetus to his enterprise, for he immediately began to build the handsome brick block, thirty-four by sixty-seven feet in dimension, which now bears his name. There is a fine suite of rooms on the second floor heated by steam and lighted by electricity. The ground floor is occupied by the harness shop and salesrooms, the manu- factory in the rear, where some of the finest harnesses made in the State are finished. The salesroom has a handsome plate-glass front, and, well stocked with a complete and first- class line of harnesses and carriage furniture, trunks, grips, valises, and other leather goods. is the crowning beauty of an establishment which commercial men say is the finest of its kind in the State.
As a successful business man Mr. Tucker is
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actively interested in other financial enter- prises of the locality. He was one of the founders of the Norway Savings Bank and the National Bank, and is now President of the Savings Bank; is a Director and stock holder in the water works, being one of the company that put in the plant; also was one of the company organized to supply the town with electric lights; and is a stockholder in the Opera House Block and in the railroad; in fact, he has been one of the foremost in inaug- urating local improvements; and the town of Norway owes much to his energy, public spirit, and foresight.
October 10, 1866, Mr. Tucker was married to Kate S., daughter of Lucius and Adeline C. (Hobart) Denison. Her mother was an aunt of Garret A. Hobart, of Peterson, N. J., Vice-President Elect of the United States. Lucius Denison came from Boston to Norway in 1861, and was for ten years engaged in trade with I. A. Denison, selling his interest at the end of that time, and building a large pulp-mill on Crooked River. The latter part of his life was spent in retirement in Norway, where he died in 1882, at an advanced age. Mrs. Kate S. Tucker died March 14, 1875, at the age of thirty-two, leaving three children - Kate, born December 7, 1869, who died July 2, 1876; Carrie, born September 1, 1871; and Agnes, born March 3, 1875, now teaching school. Mr. Tucker was again mar- ried September 12, 1876, to Miss Georgie A. Nelson, daughter of Chaplin and Emily (Hicks) Nelson, of South Waterford, Me.
In politics he favors the Republican party. He has been clerk of the Norway Village Cor- poration a number of years, receiving his ap- pointment in 1867, and Town Treasurer eight years, entering on his duties in 1880. He is a member of Oxford Lodge, No. 18, A. F. & A. M. ; Union Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, Oxford Council; and Portland Commandery, Knights Templars; and has been Treasurer of all the Masonic societies in Norway since 1878. He was the first Adjutant of Harry Rust Post, No. 54, Grand Army of the Repub- lic, and has ever been an active comrade. He is an active member of the Universalist Parish, as were his father and grandfather before him, and he has efficiently served for
fifteen years as one of the Parish Committee, a leader in the good works which are the out- ward manifestation of saving faith.
ALLACE REED TARBOX, a prominent business man of Frye- burg, Me., son of Dominicus G. and Sarah (Paine) Tarbox, was born in Den- mark, Me., March 25, 1852. Mr. Tarbox's father was a native of Biddeford, Me. He was born in 1800, and was a year old when his parents removed to Kennebunk, Me. Upon reaching manhood he settled in Frye- burg, where he ran a carding-mill until 1830. He then moved to Denmark, Me., and engaged in the clothier's business, in which he contin- ued several years. Squire Tarbox possessed a large amount of natural ability, which, com- bined with his honesty and candor, enabled him to be of great assistance in transacting legal affairs, as he was for years Justice of the Peace, and filled many other offices of trust. His advice was considered of inestimable value by all his associates in the community where he lived, also in the adjoining towns. His death, which occurred in 1885, was pro- foundly regretted by all who knew him. His wife, Sarah L. Paine, who was a native of Standish, Me., was a very sweet, amiable lady, beloved by all who knew her. She died in 1883. They had nine children - Samuel P., who died in 1896; William Henry, whose home is in Fryeburg, but who is engaged in business in Boston; Sarah E., wife of C. H. Walker, of Fryeburg; Mary O., who married M. M. Rogers, and lives in Cambridge, Mass. ; James L., who died in June, 1877; Augusta R., wife of Nathan Sanborn, of Baldwin, Me. ; Ena M., who died in 1863; Wallace R., the subject of this sketch; and George E., who resides in Harrison, Me.
Wallace R. Tarbox attended the common schools in his boyhood, later he was employed for a time on a farm, and he completed his education at Fryeburg Academy. He learned the harness-maker's trade with Deacon John Evans, of Fryeburg, coming here in 1870. After completing his apprenticeship Mr. Tar- box went West, with the intention of locating there, but after working at his trade for a few
-
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years in Wisconsin and in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minn., he decided that his prefer- ence was for the East. He therefore returned to Fryeburg, bought the business which his former employer, Deacon Evans, had carried on for forty years, made extensive improve- ments, and is to-day doing a good business as a manufacturer of harnesses and horse cloth- ing, and carrying a fine line of saddlery, hard- ware, robes, trunks, and so forth. His store is one of the finest of the kind in the State. It does not, however, absorb all the energies of Mr. Tarbox. He is the local agent for sev- eral reliable fire, life, and accident insurance companies, and he has been very successful in securing a large number of risks in this local- ity, and does a profitable business, especially in the fire insurance.
His well-won reputation for being upright and honorable in all his dealings has secured for him merited confidence, and is thus the keynote of his success. In all movements rel- ative to the improvement of the town and the development of business, Mr. Tarbox is deeply interested, and may be depended upon for ac- tive support. He has been Treasurer of the West Oxford Agricultural Society for the past ten years, and at one time acted in the same capacity for the Oxford Hotel and Land Com- pany. He is also Treasurer of all the lodges with which he is connected. He is a member of Pythagorean Lodge, A. F. & A. M., of Fryeburg; Oriental Chapter, Royal Arch Masons, of Bridgton; and of Portland Com- mandery, Knights Templars, of Portland. He was Master of the Blue Lodge here for two years, and District Deputy for several years. He was a charter member of Pequawket Lodge, No. 34, Knights of Pythias, of this town. The leading citizens of the town and county are numbered among his friends and acquaint - ances, his prominence and popularity in busi - ness and social circles being largely due to his enterprise and progressive tendencies and his naturally genial manner. Mr. Tarbox is ac- tively interested in political affairs, and votes the Republican ticket.
He was married June 21, 1892, to Miss Mary E. Reardon, a native of Belfast, Me. Mrs. Tarbox is a graduate of St. Mary's Acad- emy, Manchester, N. H., and for several years
previous to her marriage was a popular teacher in Maine and Massachusetts.
HARLES B. BONNEY, a veteran of the Civil War, and an industrious and successful farmer of Sumner, was born in the adjoining town of Peru, Oxford County, Me., January 10, 1832, his parents being Asa and Elizabeth (Bisbee) Bonney, the former of whom was a native of Pembroke, Me., and the latter of Sumner.
Isaac Bonney, the father of Asa, was one of the first to settle in East Sumner, Me., where, with the indomitable energy which character- ized the thrifty pioneers of that day, he set himself to the task of clearing his land, and before his death had brought his one-hundred- and-twenty-five-acre farm into good shape for cultivation. During the struggle of the American colonies for independence, he did personal service as a soldier. He died in Sumner at an advanced age. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Robinson, bore him the following children : John, David, Isaac, Olpha, Annie, Asa, and Abigail.
When Asa Bonney, the youngest son, went out from the parental roof to gain his own livelihood, he took up the occupation to which he had been reared, and his life was success- fully spent in agricultural pursuits in the towns of Peru and Sumner. In politics he was at one time a Free Soiler, but during his later years he became a Republican. He died in Sumner when eighty-two years of age. His wife, Elizabeth Bisbee Bonney, also lived to . be over fourscore years of age. Both were members of the Methodist church. They were the parents of twenty-one children, of whom eighteen, seven sons and eleven daughters, grew to mature years. Of this number, eleven have passed away, namely: Sarah, the eldest- born ; Elmira; Abigail; John; Stephen ; Ann; Vesta; Elizabeth; Lydia: Jones; and Fanny - the seven now living being Mary, Elizabeth (second), Isaac, Asa, Cyrus, Charles B., and Thankful, the last named being the youngest child.
Charles B. Bonney, the youngest son, passed the early years of his life in the towns of Sumner, Hartford, Turner, and Peru, his
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education being obtained in the schools of Sumner and Turner. At the age of sixteen he went to Boston, where he secured employ- ment in a linseed oil factory, at eight dollars per week, which was two dollars more than the usual wages then paid for the class of work which he did. After a year spent in Boston he returned to Peru, and purchased his first land, a timber lot, and renting a saw-mill he engaged in the manufacture of lumber for two and one-half years. Selling the land in Peru, he then moved to West Sumner, and bought a farm, which he carried on with profit for six years.
For five months the open contest between North and South had been gathering force, when, on September 21, 1861, Mr. Bonney enlisted in the Ninth Maine Regiment, Com- pany F, under Captain Horatio Bisbee. He was first given the position of teamster, and later that of wagon master, serving in the latter capacity until his honorable discharge in 1865. Returning to Oxford County he purchased a farm of sixty acres in Turner, having in the mean time sold his West Sum- ner farm; and four years later, in January, 1872, he sold the Turner farm, and bought the place on which he has since resided here in Sumner. This farm contains about one hundred and sixty acres, is under good culti- vation, and has well-kept and convenient buildings. Hc is engaged in mixed farming, and keeps a dairy of blooded stock, including grade Jerseys.
On September 30, 1855, at the time he was engaged in clearing his first land, Mr. Bonney married Cynthia Cary, who was born in East Sumner, Me., January 4, 1830, daughter of Dr. Bethuel and Lucy (Robinson) Cary.
John Cary, the first American progenitor of the family, was a native of Somersetshire, England, whence he came to this country about 1634. On his arrival he connected himself with the Plymouth Colony, and settled in Duxbury, but subsequently removed to Bridge- water, Mass. Ezra Cary, the father of Bethuel, was a native of Bridgewater, Mass. born in 1749; and his wife, whose maiden name was Cynthia Brett, was born in Stough- ton, Mass. He came to Turner, Me., at an early date, and was known as a progressive
farmer. He also followed the occupation of a tanner. For fifty years he was a Deacon in the Congregational church. He dicd in Turner in 1839, aged eighty-nine years, ten months, and fifteen days. He was twicc mar- ried, and by both unions had eleven children (eight sons and three daughters), as follows: Thomas, Zachariah, Luther, Ezra, Daniel, John S., Cynthia, Bethuel, Tolman, Cynthia, and Susanna.
' Bethuel Cary, the eighth child, was born in Turner, Me., in 1793. He spent his life principally in East Sumner, where he was a pioneer in the medical profession, and ac- quired a large and successful practice, devot- ing fifty years of his life to this work. In re- . ligious faith he was a Baptist, in political affiliation, a stanch Republican from the for- mation of that party; and in 1841 he repre- sented the towns of Sumner and Hartford in the Mainc legislature. For a number of years Dr. Cary served as Town Clerk, and he was Postmaster for quite a period. He died at East Sumner, September 2, 1866, aged seventy-three ; and his wife, Lucy Robinson, who was born in Sumner in 1797, died March 9, 1880, at nearly eighty-three years of age. They had six children, of whom three are still living, namely: Benjamin F. Cary, of Hart- ford; Cynthia, Mrs. Charles B. Bonney; Sarah D., born May 16, 1832, who was mar- ried May 28, 1854, to Isaac Bonney, a suc- cessful farmer of Sumner, brother of Charles B. Bonney. The others were: Lucy A., wifc of Eleazer Ellis, of Sumner, born May 13, 1818, who died April 16, 1890; Bethuel Cary, a boot maker by trade, born May 19, 1825, who died August 29, 1852; William R. Cary, late a farmer and breeder of fancy cattle and horses, residing in Hartford, Me., born July 8, 1820, who died August 13, 1891.
Four children have been born to Charles B. Bonney and his wife, Cynthia Cary Bonney, and three are still living; namely, Sadie D., Hattie May, and Charles Augustus. Tolman C. died, aged five years. Sadie D., who is now the wife of Frank W. Palmer, the depot ยท master at East Sumner, has five children - Howard, Bessie, Raymond, Elsie, and Doro- thy. Hattie May married Epyrus Bosworth,
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a farnier of Sumner. Charles Augustus Bonney, unmarried, is engaged in farming.
Politically, Mr. Bonney is a supporter of the Republican party; fraternally, he is a member of Nezinscot Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, at Buckfield. He and his wife and family are all members of the Baptist church, in which he has been a Deacon for many years.
HARLES PORTER FULLER, one of the oldest and best-known residents of Oxford, Oxford County, Me., was born in East Oxford, April 2, 1820, son of Ira and Sally (Merrill) Fuller. In the latter part of the last century, when this locality was a dense wilderness abounding in game, and inhabited by a few venturesome settlers who were obliged to travel on horse- back, finding their way by means of marked trees, to reach Portland, the nearest market town, Mr. Fuller's grandfather, Nathaniel Fuller, a native of Massachusetts, began clear- ing up a farm in East Oxford, which was then a part of the town of Hebron. The sturdy pioneer of those days, which witnessed the dawning of civilization in this part of Maine, was under the necessity of producing nearly everything used in his family, including the flax and wool which were spun, woven, and made into clothing by the thrifty housewife. By dint of hard work, long continued, Grand- father Fuller cleared and improved a good farm. In 1794 a Methodist meeting was held at the house of John Caldwell in East Oxford, its members later organizing a class or society, which for sixty years formed a part of the Hebron and Oxford circuit; and Mr. Nathan- iel Fuller was one of the promoters of this religious movement. He died here at the age of nearly eighty-five years. His wife, whose maiden name was Julia Holmes, lived to attain a good old age, having reared to maturity five children - Ira, Nathaniel, Pamelia, Jerusha, and Caleb.
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