USA > Maine > Oxford County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 8
USA > Maine > Franklin County > Biographical review; this volume contains biographical sketches of leading citizens of Oxford and Franklin counties, Maine > Part 8
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Russell, Gorham, Gardner, and two others who died in infancy.
Gorham Baker acquired a common-school education. Upon reaching his majority he began to work as an assistant upon the home- stead farm. Since succeeding to the property he has made various improvements, increasing the acreage by the purchase of more land, which now amounts to'one hundred and sixty- six acres. On December 18, 1839, Mr. Baker wedded Harriet Stowers, daughter of John Stowers, of Farmington, this county. She has had seven children - Katherine E., Elisha G., Benjamin F., Mary E., John M., Amos L., and Hattie F. Katherine E., born in 1841, married Jason Lufkin, of Champlain, Minn., and has had two children, namely : Edwin B., now deceased, who was born July 5, 1869; and Frank B., who was born March 27, 1871. Elisha G., born in 1842, served three years in the Sixteenth Regiment, Maine Infantry, during the Civil War, and is now a blacksmith. in the village of New Sharon. Benjamin F. was born in 1844. Mary E. and John M., twins, were born in 1849. The latter died in infancy. Amos L. was born in 1851. Hattie F., born in 1858, is now the widow of the late Theodore T. Prince, and resides at the home- stead. She has three children, namely : Blanche E., who was born March 26, 1880; Nina M., who was born May 25, 1884; and Mildred T., born January 3, 1894. Mr. Baker is highly respected by his neighbors, and is regarded as one of the most successful farmers of this locality.
RANCIS MARION NOBLE, a prac- tical and progressive farmer at Noble's Corner, Norway, Me., was born in this town, March 31, 1845. His paternal grand- father, Nathan Noble, second, born near Port- land in 1761, was a son of Nathan, first, a native of New Milford, Conn. Grandfather Noble and his wife, Hannah Hobbs, reared a large number of children, among them being Nathan, Jr., the father of the subject of this sketch.
Nathan Noble, Jr., was engaged in agricult - ural pursuits in North Norway for several years, but later opened a store of general mer-
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chandise at what is now known as Noble's Corner, the place having been named in his honor. After continuing in mercantile busi- ness for some years, he sold out his store and resumed farming, in which he was engaged until his demise, March 31, 1883. His wife, whose maiden name was Mary Jordan, was born in Otisfield, Cumberland County, Me., and died February 16, 1890, in the town of Norway. They had ten children, eight of whom are now deceased, namely: Isannah C., who married in 1843 Uriah Holt Upton; Cor- delia D., who married Simon Hukins; Eliza- beth A., who was the wife of the late Moses Harmon; Gilbert, who died at the age of twenty-one years; Aurelius C., who married Elizabeth McAllister; Caroline, who married Nathaniel G. Frost, of Oxford village; Martha J., who died in 1888; and Mary Ellen. The survivors are: William H. and Francis Mar- ion. William H. Noble, now living with his brother, married the late Julia Boothby. He served bravely in the late Rebellion, being a member of Company G, One Hundred and Tenth Maine Volunteer Infantry, and later of Company G, Twenty-ninth Maine Volunteer Infantry, and at the battle of Cedar Creek lost his right arm, for which injury he now re- ceives a pension.
Francis Marion Noble, whose course in life is now to be briefly set forth, was the tenth and youngest child of his parents. When but a stripling of sixteen years, he en- listed in his country's service, joining Com- pany G, Fourteenth Maine Volunteer Infantry, under Captain Cheney and Colonel Nickerson. He was mustered in at Augusta, Me., when he went to Ship Island, and then to New Orleans, going from there to Baton Rouge, where they met a body of Confederate troops, under com- mand of Colonel Breckinridge, with whom they had a pitched battle, August 5, 1862. In the summer of 1863 he was engaged in the siege of Port Hudson, La. Crossing the country to Petersburg, Va., the regiment was with Sheridan's forces in the Shenandoah Val- ley, where they remained three months, taking an active part in various engagements. While there Mr. Noble received a serious gunshot wound, which necessitated his being taken to the McClellan Hospital in Philadelphia.
Five months later he rejoined his regiment at Savannah, Ga., where he was stationed until the close of the war. He was not in any battle after the one at Winchester, where he was wounded. On August 25, 1865, he re- ceived his discharge at Darien Ridge, Geor- gia. On being mustered out of service, Mr. Noble returned to his native place, and soon afterward bought his present farm, consisting of one hundred and eighty acres, on which he has faithfully labored. Fortune has smiled on his undertakings, his estate being finely improved, and much of the land under cultiva- tion. He carries on the various branches of general agriculture, paying some attention to dairying, and being quite an extensive stock- raiser.
On September 17, 1868, Mr. Noble married Miss Myra Pike Hall, who was born March 4, 1850, in Norway, daughter of William and Mary F. (Towne) Hall, both natives of this town, the father being a well-known farmer. He died in 1856. Mrs. Hall died on Novem- ber 12, 1858. Mr. and Mrs. Noble have five children, as follows: Frank G., born July 25, 1869; Fred H., born March 23, 1873; Nathan A., born October 28, 1876; Willie M., born June 12, 1886; and Lona E., born February 7, 1888. Frank G. Noble, now a farmer in Norway, married Emma L. Symonds, and they have one child, Dora Frances; and Fred H. Noble, also a Norway farmer, married Chris B. Tubbs, and has one child, a daughter, Ca- lista Marion.
In politics Mr. Noble is a steadfast Repub- lican, and takes an intelligent and active part in town affairs. From 1883 until 1886 he was a member of the Board of Selectmen, and he has also served the community in minor official capacities. He is a member of the Norway Grange, Patrons of Husbandry : and of the Henry Rust Post, No. 54, Grand Army of the Republic, of Norway. Mr. Noble and his family attend the Congregational church.
EORGE HENRY BILLINGS, a re- tired jeweller, who has a very pleas- ant home in South Waterford vil- lage, Oxford County, Me., was born in Water- ford, May 26, 1837, the only son of George
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C. and Rebecca (Whitcomb) Billings. His father was born in Waterford, his mother in Sweden, Me. Ilis paternal grandfather was Daniel Billings, a Massachusetts man, who settled in Waterford. George C. Billings was a carpenter, and followed his trade in his native town. He died in Lowell, Mass., in June, 1841; and his wife passed away in 1847. They had but two children - George Henry, of South Waterford; and Sarah E., born May 26, 1839, now the wife of Charles Gibbs, an ice dealer of Bridgton Centre, Me.
George Henry Billings, the subject of this sketch, received a 'limited common-school education, being left fatherless at the tender age of four years and motherless before he entered his teens. When only six years of age he was put out to work on a farm in Otis- field, where he remained until nineteen. The two years ensuing he was employed as clerk in a store in Waterford City; and he then re- turned to farm work, which he followed until the second year of the Civil War. July 17, 1863, he enlisted in Company F, Ninth Maine Regiment, under Colonel Granger and Captain Barrows; and he was two years in active mili- tary service, participating in the siege of Fort Fisher, the battle of the Wilderness, and the protracted siege of Petersburg. Although the rebel bullets touched him not, he suffered severely from the physical strain caused by forced marches and camping in malarial dis- tricts in Virginia and North and South Caro- lina; and when his term of service was ended his health was very nearly destroyed. He was discharged at Raleigh, N.C., in August, 1865, and after his return to his native place was in ill health for three years, unable to do any kind of work. After that he learned the jew- eller's trade, in following which he has had a variety of experiences. He was in the employ of William H. Nevers for several years, then managed a store of his own in Harrison vil- lage, Me., for two or three years. The ten years that followed he worked at his trade in a pawnship in Boston, Mass .; and, if he were gifted with the pen of a Dickens, he would have many strange stories to relate concerning the pieces of jewelry that received new leases of life from his deft fingers. His next field of labor was in Aldrich, Minn., where he was
also employed in a general store, and was Postmaster four years. From Aldrich he re- turned to Boston, remaining two years, and finally settled in Waterford City, Me. Though at present practically retired, he still works a little at his trade He has never fully recov- ered his health, and is now in receipt of a pension from the government on account of his military service.
Mr. Billings was married December 22, 1892, to Mrs. Lillie E. Plummer Horr, who was born in Brighton, Mass., November 6, 1851. Her parents, Charles and Laura (Smith) Plummer, moved to Waterford when she was an infant. Her father was a native of this town, and was engaged here for years in the pursuit of agriculture. He died in Febru- ary, 1895. Her mother, a native of Cam- bridge, Mass., is living in Cornish, Me., with two of her daughters. Mr. and Mrs. Plummer had seven children - Nellie and Nettie (de- ceased) ; Lillie E., Mrs. Billings; Annie, . with her mother in Cornish; Augusta, Post- mistress of Waterford City, widow of Charles Young, Jr .; Nellie, also living with her mother; and Susia, wife of Percy Bailey, a clerk in a store in Harrison village, Me. Mrs. Billings's first husband was Freeman F. Horr, a native of Waterford, the son of Daniel Horr. He died April 30, 1889, leaving one child, Loise Plummer Horr, who is the wife of M. M. Grimes, Postmaster at West Med- ford, Mass.
Mr. Billings votes the Democratic ticket. While in Aldrich, Minn., he served as Town Clerk, Assessor, and Justice of the Peace. He is a member of Bridgton Post, Grand Army of the Republic, of Bridgton, Me .; and he and his wife belong to Bear Mountain Grange, Patrons of Husbandry, of Waterford.
IVERETT A. CHANDLER, a stirring and capable young business man, who has recently settled in Wilton, Me., on the farm which he bought of his father about three years ago, is rapidly making for himself a record as one of the most successful farmers of this town. He was born in Perkins Planta- tion, Franklin County, December 25, 1861, son of Augustus M. and Martha (Richards)
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Chandler, and is a descendant of Colonial an- cestry, who were early pioneers in developing the agricultural resources of the State of New Hampshire. Later generations of the family have been likewise employed in the Pine Tree State.
Mr. Chandler's great-grandparents - Eben and Damaris (Howe) Chandler, the former of whom was born in Wilton, N. H. - removed previous to 1830 to the town of Temple, in this county, where Eben Chandler constructed a log house upon a tract of wild land. He cleared and improved a good farm, upon which he realized a comfortable prosperity as the re- sult of his energy and perseverance, and both he and his wife lived to reach an advanced age. Their children were - Ebenezer, Luke, John P., James, Plummer, Rodney, and Eliza.
Luke Chandler, the second son of Eben, and the next in this line, was born in Wilton, N. H. Coming to Temple in 1832 he bought and cleared a tract of unimproved land located in the neighborhood of his father's farm; but after tilling the soil with energy and success for forty years, he sold the farm in Temple, in order to pass his last days in his native State, and, returning thither, purchased a homestead which he occupied for the rest of his life. He died at the age of seventy-four years. He married Rebecca Melendy, who lived to be eighty-three years old, and was the mother of twelve children, namely : Luke F. ; Augustus M. ; Abigail, Perham; George P .; Melvina and Elvira, twins; Rebecca J. ; Sumner B., B. Laforest ; Augusta ; and Adah.
Augustus M. Chandler, second of the twelve, was born in Wilton, N. H., February 16, 1830, and grew to manhood in Temple, Me. Pos- sessing an unusual amount of energy and am- bition in his youth, he had previous to attain- ing his majority bought and begun improve- ments upon a tract of wild land in Perkins Plantation, where he erected a house, and cleared a considerable space for tillage pur- poses. He cultivated this farm for twenty- eight years, at the expiration of which time he sold the property, and, removing to Wilton, Me., bought the Harwood farm, which he im- proved by remodelling the buildings and other- wise enhanced its value. In 1893 he sold the property to his son, Everett A., and purchased
for a residence the F. Paine house on Depot Street, where he is now enjoying the rest and freedom from care to which his long and use- ful period of activity so justly entitles him. Although the effects of a laborious life have in a measure impaired his physical condition, he is otherwise bright and active, and still occupies a prominent position among the lead- ing residents of this town. He has rendered his share of service in town affairs, and is held in hearty respect and esteem by his fellow-cit- izens. In politics he is a Republican. He is a member of the Methodist Episcopal church, and is connected with Williamson Lodge, No. 20, Independent Order of Odd Fellows. His first wife, Martha Richards, died at the age of thirty-six years, leaving five children, namely : Calista B .; M. Rebecca; Everett A., the subject of this sketch; Ellsworth R .; and Charles F. For his second wife he married Mrs. Elvira Russell, born Tuck, daughter of James Tuck, of Farmington, Me.
Everett A. Chandler in his early years at- tended the district schools and the Wilton Academy, acquiring a good practical education. At the age of twenty he went to Nashua, N. H., where he was employed in a sash and blind factory for three years, and he then be- came interested in a livery business there. Trading this a short time later for a milk route, he leased a dairy farm, and for the suc- ceeding three years retailed an average of two hundred quarts of milk per day, a part of which was produced upon his farm and the re- mainder was bought of his neighbors. Selling out his milk business he went to Boston, where he was for some time engaged in trade, and he later gave his attention to the brass polishing business, which he carried on with success for seven years employing several hands. In 1893 he bought his father's farm of one hundred and twenty acres in Wilton, Franklin County, Me., together with the old town house and lot which he now uses for stor- age purposes, and, removing to Wilton in 1895, he began the work of improving and cul- tivating his farm. Thus far during the pres- ent year, 1896, in addition to the usual work of planting and harvesting, he has erected a new stable and carriage house, also raised his barn and built on an addition. His dairy is
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probably unsurpassed in this vicinity, as he keeps twenty head of fine Jersey cattle.
On April 30, 1890, Mr. Chandler was mar- ried to Nellie M. Howes, daughter of William and Dora (Parcher) Howes, the former of whom is a retired farmer. Mrs. Chandler has six brothers; namely, Herbert M., John C., William 11., Maurice J., Charles E., and Ilarry M. Howes; and two sisters, Gertrude L. and Maud S. Howes. Mr. and Mrs. Chandler have two children, as follows : Clyde Roy, who was born August 16, 1892; and Madeline Marie, who was born September 4, 1895. Politically, Mr. Chandler acts with the Republican party. He is connected with the Patrons of Husbandry, and both he and Mrs. Chandler are members of the Methodist Epis- copal church.
ILLIAM . W. WHITMARSH, pro- prietor of the Elm House, Norway, was born here, May 27, 1835, son of John and Charlotte (Stevens) Whitmarsh and grandson of Ebenezer and Mary (Hum- phrey) Whitmarsh. Ebenezer Whitmarsh, a native of Bridgewater, Mass., was among the first to settle in the town of Norway, purchas- ing a tract of new land, which he cleared and brought into a good state of cultivation. He followed farming throughout the active years of his life. To him and his wife, Mary (Humphrey) Whitmarsh, there were born two sons and three daughters; namely, Betsey, John, Thomas, Polly, and Lydia.
John Whitmarsh, the eldest son of Eben- ezer, was born in Norway, August 20, 1793. He learned the trade of carpenter, which, with farming, he followed until he reached middle age. He then went to North Norway and opened a jewelry storc. After conducting this for a short time he came in 1856 to Nor- way, and built a store on the site of the pres- ent Opera House Block. Here he carried on a very successful business in jewelry and sil- verware for over a score of years, retiring from active business at the end of that time. He bought the Bacon house on Cottage Street, which has since been known as the Whitmarsh stand. He served for a time as Selectman of the town and in a number of minor offices,
and he was a communicant of the Congrega- tional church. The following children were born to him and his wife, Charlotte: Martha S., Olive H., William W., and Victoria A. Hle died on January 2, 1880.
William W. Whitmarsh was the only son of his parents. He was educated in the Nor- way schools. After leaving school he worked at carpentry until 1861. Enlisting May 27 of that year in Company G, First Maine Regi- ment, he was made Sergeant of the company. On October 4 following he was created Sec- ond Lieutenant of Company G, Tenth Maine Regiment; and seventeen days later he was advanced to the rank of First Lieutenant. On May 8, 1863, he was discharged with the regiment. He re-enlisted December 16, 1863, in the Twenty-ninth Maine Regiment, receiv- ing the Captaincy of Company G, and served until March 3, 1866, when he resigned. Soon after returning home Mr. Whitmarsh pur- chased the Eim House, which has borne that name since its doors were first thrown open to the public in 1846. He has remodelled it, built an addition, and refurnished it, so that at the present time there are twenty-four finely arranged sleeping-rooms, fitted up in a homelike manner, with every convenience for the comfort of the traveller or boarder. Mr. Whitmarsh has the reputation of being one of the most obliging and entertaining land- lords in the county, and of keeping a first-class house.
Plans for the advancement or improvement of the town of Norway have always interested Mr. Whitmarsh. He was one of the pro- moters and is a stockholder and Director of the corporation that erected and own Norway Opera House. He is also financially inter- ested in the Norway water works, of which he has been Treasurer and superintendent. For eight years he held the office of Town Clerk, in 1885-86 he was a Representative to the lower house of the State legislature, and during the past ten years he has been one of the County Commissioners. His political principles are those of the Republican party. He is Past Grand of Norway Lodge, No. 16, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; Past Chief Patriarch of Wildey Encampment, No. 21, Independent Order of Odd Fellows; and a
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comrade of Harry Rust Post, No. 54, Grand Army of the Republic, in all the offices of which he has served.
On September 22, 1868, Mr. Whitmarsh was joined in marriage with Miss Martha C. Blake, who was born August 29, 1846, in Bethel, Me., daughter of Jonathan and Eliza- beth (Crockett) Blake. . Her father was a prosperous farmer. Of the three children that have been born to Mr. and Mrs. Whitmarsh, Lizzie C., the first-born, whose birth occurred November 9, 1872, is living. She is now the wife of M. W. Sampson, of Norway. Charles, born May 20, 1878, died June 10, 1878. The third child died in infancy.
UGUSTUS N. FRENCH, M.D., of Norway, is a successful and popular physician. He was born here, June 21, 1845, son of Washington and Mary (Henley) French. His great-grand- father, James French, a native of Andover, Mass., came from there to Norway in 1798, and took up a tract of new land, on which he built a log house. In his early days James French engaged in teaching, and also worked at carpentry. He married Miss Abigail Fletcher, who bore him nine children; namely, James, Jacob, Abigail, Esther, Sarah, Charles, George, Alice, and Clar- issa. In politics he was a Democrat, in his religious belief a Methodist. He was over ninety years of age at his death. His son, James French, Jr., who was born December 19, 1785, inherited the homestead, and be- came a large land-owner and farmer. He and his wife, Annis (Whitney) French, lived to a good age. They were the parents of ten children-George, James, Washington, Perley, Martha, John A., Martha A., Moses O., Will- iam P., and Moses. All lived to marry; and it may be mentioned that the eight sons at tended their father's funeral, when it was ob- served that time had silvered their heads. The father was a Democrat and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church.
Washington French, who was born in Norway, May 16, 1813, purchased a farm in North Norway, where he resided until 1847. He then removed to Albany, Me., and pur-
chased a farm of four hundred acres, and was extensively engaged in farming and lumbering up to the time of his death, March 10, 1887. His wife, Mary Henley French, born Febru- ary 13, 1823, died in March, 1875. She was a daughter of Jeremiah and Mary (Blanchard) Henley. It is a matter of family history that her father was brought to Norway in an ox cart about a century ago, when only eighteen months old. She bore her husband seven children - Harriett R., George W., Augustus N., Mercy E., Gilber H., M. Estella, and Edwin E. The father was a member of the Congregational church, and in politics he was a Republican.
When but two years old, Augustus N. French removed with his parents to Albany, Me., so that his early education was obtained in the Albany schools. He subsequently at- tended the Norway Liberal Institute, which was at that time in charge of Professor George F. Leonard. After leaving the institute he engaged in teaching school for six years. He then began the study of medicine with A. M. Peables, M.D., of Auburn, Me., who at that time had an office in Norway. He also at- tended the Maine Medical College, from which he was graduated in June, 1871. In September of that year he located at Lovell, Me., succeeding Dr. J. L. Bennett. . Having practised there for fourteen years, in the course of which he acquired a large patronage, he came to Norway in August, 1885. Here he has been still more successful. He pur- chased the Dr. Pike place, which was burned in 1894. Since then he has erected a three- story, seventeen-room house, fitted up in modern style, and lighted by electricity.
On New Year's Day, 1874, Dr. French was married to Miss Malinda Bassett, a daughter of Joseph Bassett. She died in October, 1876, leaving one child, Lutie May, who was born December 27, 1875, and has since gradu- ated from Colby University. Dr. French afterward entered a second marriage, con- tracted with Miss Nellie E. Fox, a daughter of Edward Fox. They have one child living, Eva M., born February 2, 1884. Addie M. died at the age of seven years. Dr. French is a Democrat. He served as Supervisor of Schools for three years. He is well known
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in Masonic circles, being a Past Master of Mount Tirnu Lodge, A. F. & A. M .; a mem- ber of Oriental Chapter, Royal Arch Masons; of Oxford Council, Royal and Select Masons; and of Lewiston Commandery, Knights Tem- plars. He has also affiliation with Lewiston Lodge of Perfection, Auburn Council of Princes of Jerusalem, Chapter of Rose Croix, and Maine Consistory, thirty-sccond. He is Past Grand and Noble Commander of Keiser Valley Lodge, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and has filled the different chairs in Pennesseewassec Lodge, Knights of Pythias, and in Norway Commandery, United Order of the Golden Cross.
SA W. DUTTON, Justice of the Pcace, one of New Sharon's most respected citzens, occupies a pleas- ant residence at Four Corners, situated on elevatcd ground overlooking the town. He was born in New Sharon, which lies in the south-eastern part of Franklin County, Maine, on February 25, 1833, a son of Asa and Lucy (Spaulding) Dutton.
His father, Asa Dutton, was born in Anson, Somerset County, on February 25, 1797, and was an infant when his parents moved to Starks, a few miles south, wherc, as he grew up, he attended the common schools. At an early age he went to Norridgewock, and en- gaged in harness-making and farming, being employed there by Squire Danforth. Pur- chasing a tract of one hundred acres in New Sharon shortly before his marriage, and mov- ing on to it very soon after that event, he built a house and barns, and cultivated quite a large portion of the land, conducting his harness-making business at the same time, for he was a man of great encrgy. He was in political affiliation a Whig and afterwards a Republican, and in his religious faith a Con- gregationalist.
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